Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman (Review)

Purchase Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman  via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FKZHlh

If I were to have another title for this post, it would be “Rebecca’s Tale, A book I Adored Which Had Terrible Reviews on Goodreads.”

When I was looking for books to purchase, I found this one. When I read the title, I knew it was a book I would read. 

What made me choose this book: The story revolves around a beautiful young woman who died mysteriously. Her death remained unsolved, her memories lingered, and she’s still haunting Manderley. 

When I read it: After reading about two chapters, I tossed it in a drawer for 3 months because I got busy, and the book turned out to be not interesting enough to prioritize. I was actually right on my first impression, but the first part of the first few chapters was narrated by a Colonel who was dying and was confused with what happened 20 years ago… and it wasn’t appealing to me at all. 

Why I was hooked: Maybe in chapter four or five, Rebecca’s hauntings were suggested. Her scent flooded the air, someone left a flower on her abandoned boathouse, they saw someone there, and a delivery containing her diary arrived. On those scenes, it made the book a page-turner. 

My general opinion on this book: It was a page-turner except for the first few pages. Maybe I was still trying to get a hold of the characters and the phrases. The book was delightful, especially when the hauntings are mentioned. This book is not meant to be scary, but it said an abandoned flat with a ghost in it that moves around furniture.. (well that turned out to be Mrs. Danvers! You’ll know that if you’ll read the book or simply read my summary) If I’d rate it I’d give it 3 stars. Those two stars went away because I had unanswered questions, which means I wasn’t satisfied with the revelation of how Rebecca died. Her death was supposed to be a mystery, but in chapter one, it was already suggested that her husband killed her, and it was proven to be true probably on the 600th page (sorry for this big spoiler!). That is to say, I was attempting to solve a mystery with the characters that had already been solved in chapter one. Wouldn’t it be better if someone else killed Rebecca? Like her most trusted friend, Arthur Julian? (I know I know, I’m no author! 😂)

While I was about to write my summary, I decided to search that book on Goodreads, and I was really stunned to see the reviews. It was also in Goodreads that I discovered that this wasn’t an original storyline! It was based on the novel “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier! According to the reviews, “Rebecca’s Tale” is nothing compared to the classic novel “Rebecca.” 

Anyway, I think readers truly have varied preferences because personally, I was entertained by this book. Maybe if I read the original “Rebecca,” I may have a different opinion. 

That would be all for this book.

Thank you for reading!

• Purchase Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman  via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FKZHlh