Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .
The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives–presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I enjoyed the story, the writing, not so much. I read this for SunBeamsJess Book Club. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a bit of mystery and romance within a gothic setting.
I really got into the story as I found the plot to become more intriguing. I stumbled over the excessively descriptive writing style though. I restarted this one twice. There were just too many adjectives. Just about every noun was preceded by one, sometimes several, and it was distracting to me. I was distracted to the point that it sort of stole the joy out of my reading and I had a hard time getting over it. I liked the way the characters where set up and the atmosphere that the writer, Daphne du Maurier, created.
