[.ca] Rebeccas Tale (ISBN 0006395201)

When you have a masterpiece...:
Why mess with it? Sally Beauman forces us to view Rebecca in a different, admirable light, certainly a far cry from the way Rebecca is portrayed in the original novel. I find that a bit daring of Ms. Beauman to assume that she understands a character none of us really do. I think Rebecca must have been a mystery even to Daphne DuMaurier. She also gives an unfair picture of the second Mrs. DeWinter, clearly showing that she found her to be a dull, spiritless character. This is not the same character I read in the original, but we all have our own opinions. However, the biggest problem of the book is that it spends hundreds of pages building up a pathetic romance that takes a surprising, but rather silly and disappointing turn. Finally, she rushes to end the book, lamely trying to convince us all that Rebecca was a woman of strength who manages to inspire women beyond the grave. Somehow, I think I liked Rebecca better when she was just a seductive, domineering presence. Excusing her behavior doesn't seem like the sort of thing Rebecca would ever do. Rebecca does what she wants, and answers to no one; that's why we love to hate her.

Intriguing!:
If you haven't read Daphne DuMaurier's 'Rebecca,' I would absoloutely read it before venturing onto this one. It will make much better sense, and add endless delights to your reading. I thought this book was quite well-done. It starts out painfully slow, but after the first narration, picks up & begins to fly. By the time Rebecca's second notebook is revealed- it's exciting! What I enjoyed most about the novel was that even with the words from the oh-so mysterious Rebecca, right there on paper, there were still endless possibilities as to what truly happened between she & Maxim all those years ago. The original novel is a masterpiece, & Beauman was brave to play with such well known character's- she must have had such fun! The overriding theme of freedom for women & what it means to be denied choices, was nicely done & well said. Recommended!

intriguing:
I don't remember reading the previous book so this review stands on this book alone without any comparisons. I found it fascinating and full of family intrigue. The year is 1951, twenty years after the death of Rebecca DeWinter and the question still remains-was it a suicide or murder and who was she really? She was a woman whose description is as varied as the observers. She was a beautiful woman who was so memorable, that twenty years after her death she is still a person of interest to many inquiring minds. Several people have tried to find out the truth about her death for various reasons and the book tells the story from four different views; including the story of Rebecca, written by Rebecca, herself, (the books have mysteriously been sent to Colonel Julyan), by Colonel Julyan, who secretly had been enamored by Rebecca years ago, by his daughter Ellie, and by Terence Gray, a young unknown scholar with his own personal reasons in finding information about Rebecca. It keeps you guessing and interested to the very end of the book. Now I will have to go get the other books as this book was so interesting to me.

Pale Rebecca:
The original _Rebecca_ was fantastic - well-written and beautiful. The followup was, in comparison, dry and almost redundant. Although the characters telling the story changed (often a helpful novelist technique), the voice never did. All of the characters therefore adopted a motonotonous tone in telling their stories. The true power of _Rebecca_ lay in the mystery of a woman never met. Placing her in the full light of day in _Rebecca's Tale_, unfortunately, pales her power and mystery. Having enjoyed _Rebecca_ as much as I did, I found the sequel too flat to relish. Maybe the sequel would be better as a stand-alone rather than a followup story, as others have mentioned.

Fans of du Maurier's Rebecca...BEWARE!:
Having read and re-read Daphne du Maurier's _Rebecca_ more times than I can count, I was excited to find a book that might continue the story. What a disappointment! The purpose of the story is not to tell Rebecca's tale after all, but to enlighten us with the author's political point-of-view. SETTING. Although the book is set in 1951, at least three of the characters are openly gay and it's hinted that a two others may be/have been bisexual. While our society is (finally) now becoming more enlightened about same sex couples, that was not the case in the early 1950's, particularly not in the rural society set depicted. Feminism of the type that says a woman cannot find love *and* herself, which I'd thought we'd finally put to rest, is championed, although it's, again, not terribly realistic for the setting. PLOT. Let's see, we have multiple and layered affairs, loveless marriages, syphillis resulting in children with severe birth defects, psychological disorders, child rape, incest, suicide and murder. Oh, and ghosts. Meaningful dialogue was thrown out in favour of a never-ending stream of "shocking revelations" and allusions to develop the action. CHARACTERIZATION. The book is broken into four sections so we can read the story from four different points of view. The dialogue is so strained that the author continually resorts to the interior monologue and flashback. Rebecca's journal is a mess. The "voice" changes more times than I could count, which makes it difficult to read. In the end, none of the characters are really very likable or sympathetic. Honestly, I found the book truly awful, especially when held up in comparison to the rich language of du Maurier's _Rebecca_. The reader is left with the impression that Ms. Beauman wanted to denigrate and obliterate du Maurier's novel, but it just made me want to run to the original to cleanse the bitter flavour of _Rebecca's Tale_ from my palate.