The Winters
Author: Lisa Gabriele
Published by: Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 325
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★
‘First of all, you must believe me when I tell you I didn’t kill Rebekah.’
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded Long Island mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter – a wealthy senator and recent widower – and a life of luxury she’s never known.
But is all not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife Rebekah who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her insecurities, while his teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell.
As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family’s dark secrets – the kind of secrets that could destroy her.
My thoughts:
The Winters by Lisa Gabriele is a modern psychological thriller inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca. The book draws on the atmosphereof Daphne Du Maurier’s original Rebecca, updating the story into today’s world in America.
If you have read Rebecca, then the story will have a familiar tone. However, I would say that the author has been really successful in making something completely new and stand-alone. I found the story had ‘an air of Rebecca’ rather than being purely a retelling. The balance here is just right; there are certainly enough changes to make for an interesting and gripping read, but the author also manages to retain much of the dark atmosphere and Gothic elements of the original book.
It's an intense story and I loved the exciting twists and turns of the plot. Just as with Daphne Du Maurier’s classic, the main female character is once again the nameless second Mrs Winter.
The unnamed narrator is quickly swept off her feet while she's working at a boat charter company in the Cayman Islands. She has struggled for much of her life, and is excited by the arrival of Max Winter, a prominent New York Senator. They share a speedy romance, and she can't believe it when he unexpectedly proposes to her after only a month spent together. Having fallen completely in love with him, she eagerly accepts, and is then whisked away to his grand home Asherley, on Long Island. This is the point in the book when things really get going, and the memories of Rebekah begin to emerge throughout the house.
The Winters is an atmospheric and clever read, with nods to the original inspiration. It is a thrilling and addictive plot, with many fun twists along the way. I also loved the ending and felt the story had a really satisfying conclusion.
Already being such a big fan of Daphne Du Maurier’s writing, in all honesty I did feel that this modern version perhaps slightly lacked the charm of the original story. This is why I’ve rated the book with four stars. However, this thriller certainly took me on a new and exciting ride from start to finish. I found the book to be a thoroughly addictive and entertaining read!
Lovers of domestic suspense, clever crime novels and psychological thrillers will absolutely love with this book.
Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for my advanced copy of The Winters. This is my honest review of the book, all opinions are my own and I’ve tried my best to avoid spoilers!
Overall reaction: