In the spirit of Halloween and an upcoming Netflix adaptation, we’ve chosen a classic gothic romance full of suspense for our October 2020 read.
Our second classic book club pick is here, and we’re thrilled about it! This month, The Silver Petticoat Book Club is diving into one of our top ten favorite novels of all time.
For those new to the book club, we alternate between selecting modern books and classic books every other month. One month we’ll choose a contemporary book published after 2000 (with a preference for newer ones), and the next month, we’ll pick a classic published before 2000.
THE SILVER PETTICOAT BOOK CLUB REVEAL (YOUR OCTOBER 2020 READ!)
Our October pick is Rebecca, a timeless Gothic romance perfect for the spooky season of Halloween!
Many of you might already be familiar with Daphne du Maurier’s novel. Rebecca has been a bestseller since its release in 1938 and has never gone out of print, likely helped by its numerous film, theater, and TV adaptations.
In particular, the Hitchcock film adaptation starring Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter and Joan Fontaine as Mrs. de Winter won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. However, the novel itself is unbeatable, thanks to its compelling characters and psychological suspense.
In Rebecca, an unnamed young and naïve narrator meets the charming and wealthy widower Maxim de Winter. After a whirlwind romance, Maxim marries her and takes her to his grand Cornwall estate, Manderley. But not everything is as perfect as it seems at Maxim’s beautiful home.
The memory of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca, lingers everywhere, and the menacing housekeeper Mrs. Danvers seems devoted to Rebecca, constantly making the new Mrs. de Winter feel inferior. As the housekeeper attempts to break her spirit, the narrator begins to wonder if Maxim truly loves her.
Overall, Rebecca offers jealousy, nail-biting suspense, mystery, a darkly intriguing hero, a cunning villain, and of course, romance. This is a Gothic love story, after all.
BOOK BLURB OF REBECCA BY DAPHNE DU MAURIER
Now a Netflix film starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas
“Last Night I Dreamt I went to Manderley Again…”
With these words, the reader is taken to an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that happened when she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. Every corner of the house holds remnants of a past faithfully preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a perfect, untouched suite, clothes laid out and ready to be worn, but not by anyone currently living in the mansion.
With a growing sense of unease, the second Mrs. de Winter walks in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, aiming to uncover the dark secrets and shocking truths about Maxim’s first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.
This special edition of Rebecca includes excerpts from Daphne du Maurier’s The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, an essay on the real Manderley, du Maurier’s original epilogue to the book, and more.
A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick.
BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon
Bookshop
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
JOIN THE SILVER PETTICOAT BOOK CLUB
(A Book Club Designed to Discuss Great Books with Love Stories from All Genres.)
We’ll discuss Rebecca during the final week of October on our three social media channels. For more details, you can also check The Silver Petticoat Review (subscribe to our newsletter for updates) and follow TheSilverPetticoatBookClub on social media.
What do you think of our classic book club pick this month? Do you plan to read Rebecca? Have you read it before (no spoilers, please)? Let us know in the comments.
If you’re a publisher, publicist, or author with a new book that fits The Silver Petticoat Book Club, and would like us to consider it for future picks, please send us an email.
