REBECCA'S TALE

In 1931, in the tiny Cornish village of Kerrith, Rebecca de Winter died mysteriously. Soon after, Manderley, the de Winter estate, was destroyed by fire. Sally Beauman continues the saga of the irresistible, beautiful, and deeply troubled Rebecca. Perhaps not since Hedda Gabler has a heroine been so twisted by a repressive society. In four brilliantly performed sections, Gerard Doyle, Emily Gray, Virginia Leishman, and Simon Prebble invest new life into familiar characters in this intriguing companion piece to Daphne du Maurier's REBECCA. We meet sickly Colonel Julyan, who hides a dark secret, and Tom Grey, who believes he has a connection to Rebecca; we hear from Rebecca herself, in a journal to her unborn child, and finally, from Ellie, the colonel's daughter, who is obsessed with finding the truth. Fascinating listening. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]