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"Rebecca's Tale" by Sally Beauman

Rebecca's Tale is available at Diesel Ebooks and Amazon.com.

Anyone who is a fan of Daphne Du Maurier's novel, Rebecca would benefit from reading Rebecca's Tale. Published in 2007, it is one of the best non-author written sequels I have read to date. The most interesting facet of this novel is that Ms. Beauman tells the story from four different points of view: Arthur Julyan, the confidante who fell in love with Rebecca; the orphan, Terence Gray, looking for answers as to his parentage and to his relationship to Rebecca; Ellie Julyan, Arthur's overly protective daughter; and finally Rebecca herself.

At the end of the novel, Ms. Beauman offers a history of the Rebecca story, some insights into the character of Daphne Du Maurier, and her own quest to research and write this novel. I warn that there are some spoilers in this history, but I still believe that the reader might benefit from reading this history first.

Naturally, the most fascinating part of the novel is Rebecca's story as told by herself. In this segment, Ms. Beauman changes her writing style to reflect the flowery language a person like Rebecca would have used. Ms. Beauman also turns the tables on Du Maurier by inviting sympathy for Rebecca while scorning the mousy little woman who narrated the original story.

Like many sequel authors, Ms. Beauman takes liberties with the story, some of which add and some of which detract from the original. Still, it is an absorbing novel--the kind it is difficult to put down, and which bring a tinge of sadness when it is finished.