We were delighted to feature this book on What Should I Read Next episode 330, titled "Fascinating lives, fascinating stories," which focused on excellent biographies and how reading takes us down unexplored paths

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." This perfect first sentence of a novel was crafted by author Daphne du Maurier. The sentence is followed by a true masterpiece in the literary world. In her lifetime, du Maurier authored 29 books that spanned different genres. Chaffed at being pegged as a romantic author she always wrote daring, bold, and dark stories with characters to match.

This biography of Daphne du Maurier was a fascinating and spectacular look into the life of this captivating author. de Rosnay bravely accepted the offer to craft this biography and she pulled it off very successfully. She managed to expose du Maurier and her life and yet keep it from any kind of scandal. I really enjoyed reading this account. de Rosnay's biography reads almost like a fiction novel but she makes it clear that none of it is fiction, it all really happened as written. Drawing from du Maurier's own journals, interviews, family, and friends, and by tracing the residences of du Maurier a book showcasing the incredible life of this author emerges. And Daphne du Maurier led a fascinating life. Her father was a famous stage actor, her husband a personal friend and employee of the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and she herself - brilliant, witty, prolific. de Rosnay deftly examines Daphne's grappling with gender fluidity and sexuality, her marriage, her mothering, and her writing. She weaves together the people and places that influenced her books in a way that the reader understands those tidbits come together to create the author's many works. du Maurier was a curious person and put that curiosity to work as she explored people and themes and turned them into books, uncaring of whether the critics would actually like them or not.

This was a wonderful look into the life and writing of Daphne du Maurier. Just spectacular.

This is precisely the type of biography I love to read. Tatiana de Rosnay's exploration of the life of her favourite other is wonderful. Daphne Du Maurier turns out not to be terribly likeable (in my mind), but her life and her experiences are fascinating.

I've only read Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn so far, but have copies of My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca I am now more anxious then ever to read. I'd forgotten that Hitchcock's The Birds was based on one of her short stories, and was surprised to learn that she had authored many biographies, I'm particularly interested in getting my grubby little hands on a copy of the Branwell Brontë bio as I love the works of his sisters and know very little of him.

I would have loved to read more on Daphne's early life, her travels, her writing process - but this material is covered in her own autobiography and so de Rosnay has done a good job of whetting my appetite for more.

A short read relatively speaking, but full of content and not fluff. Reading this felt like tucking into a delicious, if slightly bittersweet, dessert. Highly recommend for fans of Du Maurier as well and any reader interested in all things literary.

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again"
Or maybe I'm just reading this absorbing portrait of Daphne du Maurier.

This book is a case of expectations based on marketing that can bite and negatively influence an otherwise good book. The cover copy says it's a biography which leads me to expect a biography that is either academic or narrative non-fiction which contextualizes a life and its work. Given the author, I expected the writing to be on the narrative non-fiction side but not blurring or crossing the line straight into what felt like fiction.

The story is told from birth to death in the present tense. That was the most jarring of authorial decisions as it doesn't allow for the kinds of commentary that an overview point of view would offer. The use of dialog and inner thoughts also felt like it was pushing the boundary beyond what I was comfortable with from a biography. It may sound nitpicky, but when offering a critical review of a book, these things do matter.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was touted as a work of fiction, imagining the life of Daphne du Maurier. In that case I would be open to the flights of fancy that the author took. Ironically, my friend has the Dutch version of the book which doesn't categorize the book as biography.

I would like to thank the publisher for access to the advanced reader copy via Netgalley for an honest review.

Th authors chosen style of writing this book took me a while to get used to and appreciate but once I did this book wasn't fantastic.
Filled with Informantin and interesting moments, beautiful done and clearly a work of love.

A well done book not just for fans but a generally well done book overall for any nonfiction reader!

I love Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca; it's one of the few books I've reread. But, strangely, I've never read any of her other books, despite having a couple of them on my bookshelves. In fact, I had no idea how prolific du Maurier had been nor how versatile she had been, writing everything from her own autobiography and biographies to shocking short stories (she penned The Birds, on which the Alfred Hitchcock movie is based) and novels of all sorts. Rebecca is, of course, her most famous, the book that made her an international sensation. But it was also the book that she grew to regret writing. Her notoriety impinged on her wish for privacy and set a standard she was never able to reach again, despite having great success.

If you've been here long, you'll have notice that when I reference Kirkus Reviews, it's generally because they tend to be so harsh on books and I rarely agree with them. This book is the except. To my opinion for their review, not their opinion of the book. I can't speak to how well researched this book is - certainly De Rosnay has amassed a lot of information about du Maurier and her life and I did learn a tremendous amount. But according to Kirkus Reviews, she hasn't broken any new ground, just reframed the information that was already available. De Rosnay writes the book in present tense, in an effort, she says, to make the book feel more intimate. But for me (and Kirkus Reviews), it didn't work. I found it really disconcerting. It also felt like De Rosnay wanted to cram in every detail she found about Du Maurier, often inserting details or paragraphs that added nothing to the topic at hand. For example, in Du Maurier's early life, she devotedly wrote in her journal and much of the early part of the book felt very much like De Rosnay was taking pieces straight from the journals rather than giving readers a full picture.

Du Maurier did live a fascinating live and was surrounded by so many well-known people. The brothers Llewlyn Davies, the inspiration for J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, were her cousins and Barrie, himself, was an intimate of the family through both the theater (Du Maurier's father was a famous actor) and his role as guardian of the Llewelyn Davies brothers after their parents' deaths. Du Maurier's husband worked directly with both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth and both visited Du Maurier's home. Du Maurier traveled extensively, most often to her beloved France which called to her because of her connection with the country through her ancestors. De Rosnay does best when she is describing Du Maurier's trips to France; other destinations are little more than a postcard home. And we are reminded, again and again, that Du Maurier preferred wearing slacks and a cardigan to dresses. Perhaps that was done as a reminder (although there were plenty of other, better, reminders) of the boy that Du Maurier felt lived inside her.

To her credit, De Rosnay doesn't shy aware from showing Du Maurier's warts, including Du Maurier's failure as a mother to her daughters for much of their formative years and her selfishness in refusing to live with her husband most of their marriage as his career kept him away from the places she wanted to be. Du Maurier was certainly a woman of passions. When she wrote, her passion for writing took precedence over all else and when she loved, she could think of little else. In the end, she died as much from an inability to find the muse any longer as she did from age or the depression that plagued her family.

To be fair to the book, Kirkus Reviews and I seem to be in the minority; there are plenty of positive reviews for this book. Du Maurier's daughter, in fact, seems to feel De Rosnay has captured her mother. So take my thoughts for what their worth and, if you're interested in this one, look at other reviews before you write this one off.

Written with a novelist’s insight and empathy, this is a thoroughly enjoyable biography of Daphne du Maurier. Tatiana de Rosnay is unashamedly an enormous fan of the writer, and inserts herself into the narrative on occasion, and these personal comments add rather than detract from the narrative. Well-researched and well-written, this otherwise conventional biography is as compulsively readable and absorbing as any of de Rosnay’s own novels, and yet remains balanced and objective throughout. Highly recommended.

"The nonfiction debut from beloved international sensation and #1 New York Times bestselling author Tatiana de Rosnay: her bestselling biography of novelist Daphne du Maurier.

“It's impressive how Tatiana was able to recreate the personality of my mother, including her sense of humor. It is very well written and very moving. I’m sure my mother would have loved this book.” ― Tessa Montgomery d’Alamein, daughter of Daphné du Maurier, as told to Pauline Sommelet in Point de Vue.

As a bilingual bestselling novelist with a mixed Franco-British bloodline and a host of eminent forebears, Tatiana de Rosnay is the perfect candidate to write a biography of Daphne du Maurier. As an eleven-year-old de Rosnay read and reread Rebecca, becoming a lifelong devotee of Du Maurier’s fiction. Now de Rosnay pays homage to the writer who influenced her so deeply, following Du Maurier from a shy seven-year-old, a rebellious sixteen-year-old, a twenty-something newlywed, and finally a cantankerous old lady. With a rhythm and intimacy to its prose characteristic of all de Rosnay’s works, Manderley Forever is a vividly compelling portrait and celebration of an intriguing, hugely popular and (at the time) critically underrated writer."

Let's open the vault and get those Du Maurier secrets!

I really enjoyed this book. As the teacher in charge of stocking the senior school library, I like to ensure that the books are diverse and the students are exposed to both excellent fiction and excellent modern non-fiction. I think that this is both a fascinating and well-written book that has much to recommend it and will keep the students interests. It is good to stretch their reading interests by providing them with books about subjects they might never have considered before and this definitely does the job well. I am a huge DuMaurier fan and through this book I hope to convert a few more! It is also good to find books that I know the teaching staff might enjoy as well as the students and I definitely think that this applies in both cases. Absolutely recommend wholeheartedly; a fantastic read.

It has been awhile since I read the galley for this book. It has stayed with me. I find myself suggesting it to people and book groups as a fascinating read from both a historical and a literary perspective.

Tatiana de Rosnay's narrative captured me right from preface which ends with:
"This book reads like a novel, but I did not invent any of it. Everything here is true.
It is the novel of a life."
Manderley Forever is a well researched biography of Daphne du Maurier: her life, her life works, her life's passion. Beautifully written and truly a treasure for Daphne du Maurier and Tatiana de Rosnay fans alike. This biography is sure to become a staple on literature lover's book shelves.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Tatiana de Rosnay for allowing me the pleasure of reading this work in exchange for an honest review.

This is a super biography of Daphne du Maurier, by no less than Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah’s Key.
It made total sense that Tatiana De Rosnay would write Daphne’s biography, not only because she discovered her at a very young age and adored her writing. But Tatiana is herself perfectly bilingual and has studied both in England and France. In fact, she writes some books directly in French, and some others directly in English.

Tatiana went to meet members of Daphne’s family, still living in a house where Daphne herself lived.
Houses are extremely important in Daphne’s life and works. De Rosnay divided her biography into five parts, each related to one house; one of them is Menabilly, the model for Manderley.
The author follows Daphne from her early years, her life with her siblings, and here psychological issues - her relationship with her mother and with her father. And how Daphne as a very young child always wanted to be a boy.This was reflected in the male roles she would chose when they put on plays together at home - her father was an actor.
As you may know, Daphne ended up being bisexual. At the time, this was considered a crime, so Daphne didn’t talk about it, but she kept a diary. It was revealed later on, and made available for De Rosnay, who then had first hand documentation on the topic. Especially her affair with a French woman.
Having French blood from her grandfather (Du Maurier), Daphne was eager to visit this country. She totally fell in love with Paris and lived quite a bit in France.

Then we learn about Daphne’s life with her husband who occupied a very high position in the army. As such, he was often away, and they felt progressively estranged. Plus he was psychologically wounded by all he experienced during the war.
It’s fascinating to follow what was going on in her life, and then see the parallels or elements she used for some of her characters and setting, especially all the houses her family moved in.
When you see Daphne’s love for Cornwall, you also appreciate even more her landscape descriptions.

I loved the way Daphne discovered Menarbilly. She managed to live in it several decades, as a renter, as the owner never agreed to sell it.
The biography is also excellent at tracing the birth of each of Daphne’s books (and she wrote a lot!); their reception, and Daphne’s relation to their success or failure, as well as to Hitchcock’s adaptation of many of them!
Lots of cool pictures are included in the book, as well as an index of coded words used by Daphne’s family.
I really enjoyed this book very much. If you like Daphne du Maurier’s works, you ABSOLUTELY need to read this biography.

Brilliant , loved Rebeca and not disappointed with this book . Du Maurier lives on .

Thanks to Negalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

What an excellent read. I loved learning about the life of Daphne Du Maurier through
such a well written, compelling book. The first half of the book was more tightly written
and a more lyrical read than the last half which tended to get bogged on details and meander
a bit. The author carefully researched du Maurier's life and personally went to the places
she lived. Her descriptions took the reader to these places. A great book even though it
did become a bit tedious at times.

I read Rebecca a long time ago and remember that I loved it, so I decided that I had to request this biography of Daphne du Maurier!

Manderley Forever is told in two parts. One is the author's own journey to various places of significance in Daphne du Maurier's life, which opens each chapter, and the other is the biography, told in the style of a novel (with third person narration).

To be honest, the author's pilgrimage didn't feel necessary, and I wouldn't have missed anything if it was cut. It just wasn't long enough and didn't enhance the story of Daphne du Maurier's life to me (and I didn't feel a connection with the author either).

Another quibble I have is that the book talks a lot about how Daphne feels at times and it does so with no room for ambiguity. It does seem very well-researched but I do wonder how accurate one can be at guessing at the emotions of someone else - were the letters and other materials that survived that comprehensive?

That being said, the book succeeds very well as a biography. The writing style was a little weird at first, but by the end of the book, I felt like I had come to know Daphne du Maurier pretty well. And even more importantly, it made me want to read all of her books (pity the NLB only has 3 of her books in ebook form). So I will. I'm going to start with Rebecca, even if she did get sick of it, and read the other two between books.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

I enjoyed the two other books I read by Tatiana de Rosnay and Manderlay Forever was well written but I just did not have any chemistry with Daphne DuMaurier, and I loved Rebecca. In an event, if you enjoy languid story telling I think you would enjoy this book. It was not what I was expecting.

I knew nothing about Daphne Du Maurier until I read this biography of her, and I found her, and her life, fascinating. It was well written, the style a sort of cross between a strict biography and a novel-type biography, although as the author said, it is entirely factual. Du Maurier was a woman ahead of her time and understandably frustrated by being dubbed an author of historical gothic romances. I knew about "Rebecca" of course, and the famous opening line but I don't think I'd ever read it. I have now, and I think it was much more interesting because I'd just finished this biography. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity.

This book is a charming look into the life of Daphne Du Maurier. The nonfiction work reads more like a novel which made it a much easier read than some other biographies and I often wondered what would happen next.
Her father an actor and her siblings also creative, du Maurier grew up in what seemed like a fantasy world. But the reader quickly relalizes that money and prestige doesn't protect one from the hardships of life and the wickeness of himan beings. In love with France and ready to escape her home, du Maurier starts to truly become herself. The reader follows in on her life's jourey with writing, family, sexuality and an old manor home. du Mauirier is more than a gothic writer; she is a complex woman with a variety of desires and motivation.
The author is at her best when she has letters or journals from du Maurier. Lines and passages from her correspondence are included allowing the reader to truly get into her end. I was sad when her journal entries ended when she was so young; it was a great look into the mind of this ingenious woman.
But there are moments that are truly distant from the subject. These instances usually centered around sex and her attraction to the men and women in her life. If I were to guess why these aspects of du Maurier's were more gently handled is because the biographer is enamored by du Maurier. In the book itself, du Maurier shows embracement for some of her love interests and wanted t keep it secret for as long as possible. The biographer has seem to take this to heart and say only as little as she could and be truthful.
Intriguing and fascination, Manderley Forever brings alive a very unique woman and writer and tell you her story.