In-depth and well-researched, a true understanding of Du Maurier's character is revealed.

I was unable to finish this book. The present tense voice for the du Maurier was so disconcerting and unappealing, causing such great distance for me as a reader that I could not continue. My apologies.

Great insight into the life of an incredible author who purposefully stayed away from the limelight. Du Maurier has been one of my favorite authors since I read REBECCA as a young teen. I was fortunate enough to have her as a pen pal when I was in high school and cherish her letters to this day. I did not realize how lucky I was to have this relationship with her until reading MANDERLEY FOREVER.

This story of the life of Daphne du Maurier was a very interesting and enjoyable read. It was very informative on the life of du Maurier, and I felt like it gave a good understanding of Daphne and her family.

I have enjoyed de Rosnay's fiction, and am glad to see that she handled this biography so well.

Several years ago my husband and I went to the Redford Theater in Detroit to see Rebecca on the big screen. The 1928 Japanese-themed theater has been restored by the Motor City Theater Organization, which bought the Redford for it's Barton organ. As usual, the theater seats were filled while the organ concert delighted the audience.

I had seen Hitchcock's Rebecca on television before I read the book. While an English major at Temple University in Philadelphia I attended several meetings of an English majors club, one time to share readings from favorite books. A young man read from Rebecca. It was the first time I had heard Daphne Du Maurier's writing and I put her on my TBR list and later read many of her novels.

So, there we were at this beautifully restored theater in the heart of a declining Detroit watching Rebecca on the big screen, listening to those famous opening words, "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again." We were ready to be swept into the magic of story. The magic was soon lost. The audience laughed. They especially laughed at Mrs. Danvers. There was no pleasure in watching the film, for the laughter diminished the film to farce.

I am grateful that Tatiana De Rosnay's Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne De Maurier restored and justified my original appreciation of Rebecca. De Rosnay has written a mesmerizing biography that also recreates Du Maurier's creative journey.

In 1937 Du Maurier followed her soldier husband 'Boy' Tommy Browning to Egypt, leaving their newborn and three-year-old child with family in England. She hated the army-wife parties, and the desert. She was homesick and thought about Menabilly, the empty manor house in Cornwall that she fell in love with at first sight. Images came to her. She reflected on her jealousy of Boy's first love, a sophisticated, high society beauty. She recalled the vision of a housekeeper's tall, black silhouette, and remembered seeing the shipwreck of the Romanie. She knew the book was to be called Rebecca, and that it would be about jealousy.

Du Maurier returned to Cornwall and spent three months writing her novel like a woman possessed. She sent it to her publisher with a note saying, "Here is the book. I've tried to get an atmosphere of suspense. It's a bit on the gloomy side. The ending is a bit brief and a bit grim."

The novel's publication, of course, changed her life. Yet, she felt the novel was misunderstood. She did not write a corny romance!

Hitchcock bought the film rights; she hated his film version of her novel Jamaica Inn and was distraught. She wrote to David Selznick, begging that the character Rebecca never be portrayed on screen. She was thrilled that Laurence Olivier would be Max de Winter, but protested that Vivian Leigh was too beautiful to be the second Mrs. de Winter. Thankfully, it was Joan Fontaine who got the role and in the end the author loved the film--including Judith Anderson's portrayal of Mrs. Danvers. Hitchcock did alter Du Maurier's book: Mrs. Danvers in the author's mind was younger and was in love with the first Mrs. de Winters, and she was clear that Max had killed his wife in a jealous rage but was not punished for it.

"It makes me a little ashamed to admit it, but I do believe I love Mena more than people."-Daphne Du Maurier

In 1943, a now wealthy Du Maurier had no love of fashion or high living or art. What she wanted was Menabilly. It was literally falling down, without any modern conveniences. She would have to renovate it with her own funds. Yet she rented the house for twenty years. And so began her love affair with Mena.

I understand how she fell in love with a house, a place with a history that could be read in its every beam and stone. Du Maurier became interested in history, including her own family history, and extensively researched while preparing for her novels.

Manderley Forever brings alive a complicated author in context of her family history, her personal and creative growth, and literary place. I enjoyed the book immensely.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The style of Manderley Forever ('novelized' biography) by Tatiana de Rosnay is not in my usual reading lane, but because it was about Daphne du Maurier, I picked it up. The narrative framework is loosely organized by the houses where du Maurier lived; de Rosnay introduces each part of du Maurier's life with an account of her own (de Rosnay's) journeys to these places, then resumes the narrative. I found this to be mildly distracting, but it did not prevent me from continuing on. I thought organizing the text this way was a really interesting angle and that the author conveyed the concept well, especially after du Maurier moved to Manderley. I wished for less recounting of events, anecdotes and dates and more inner thoughts and motivations, but maybe that was not the author's intent in writing the book. This book has piqued my interest in reading a more substantive bio of du Maurier. I found the formatting of some of the book distracting (though I know this will change in the final copy), particularly the treatment of a secret language that du Maurier and her sisters used.

I was so excited to pick up this book. I first read Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca in middle school and read all of the books she wrote (well, that were carried by my local library) during my high school years. However, this book was disappointing. I did not care for the writing by the author of this biography. Her style is overblown and full of rhetorical questions along the lines of: Whatever is a girl to do? I also found the author's insistence on discussing sex or relationships using the childhood code words of the du Maurier sisters throughout the entire book. It felt prudish and disrespectful to the relationships discussed.

Manderley Forever by Tatiana de Rosnay is a wonderfully told tale of the life of Daphne du Maurier. I was curious to read this book. I am not a fan girl of du Maurier's books, but I appreciate their clever plotting and elegant way of painting pictures of buildings that often are a main character in her books. This book reads like a novel but accurately follows the life path of du Maurier. It's fun, informative and makes you feel like you really know du Maurier, just like you would know one of your school mates that you keep in touch with after boarding school.

Oh, Tatiana de Rosnay, how can I thank you for transporting me into the world of Daphne DuMaurier? As you brought me to each of her homes, I felt transported into her world. What an incredibly clever way to set the scene for each stage of her life in a literal and graphic way

De Rosnay's book almost makes the lucky reader feel like a stalker as we visit du Mauier's world. It is clear that the author has transformed careful reasearch into an exceptional biography that is easy to read, full of vivid descriptions and incredible insights into Du Maurier's life and that of those around her.

Of course, I loved the earlier SARAH'S KEY, but I was amazed at the author's ability to conquer this genre. I imagine that every book club will relish reading this story. All of us who grew up watching the classic movies based on her novels have to love the back stories of their inception. We learn about the author' life and share her secrets. For those of us who love, Peter Pan, we even are allowed to share her connection to James Barrie's lost boys.

Obviously, I was totally enchanted by this book and urge readers to curl up read this and, despite some of du Maurier's misgivings, watch Rebecca or The Birds.