The acclaimed author of Restoration and The Road Home returns with a stunning and incisive take on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, as the famous writer embarks on a clandestine affair with a woman destined to be cruelly immortalised as the notorious Mrs Danvers.
'Daphne du Maurier stole my life.'
Mrs Danowski – known as Danni – is the housekeeper of a grand house on the wild coast of Cornwall. When a glamorous young writer, Daphne du Maurier, visits Manderville Hall to research her new novel, she and Danni are drawn into a clandestine and intoxicating affair.
For Danni, it is an all-consuming love; for Daphne a submission to long-suppressed desires. But their fragile secret is vulnerable to prying eyes and destined for heartbreak. When Daphne’s novel launches to triumphant success, Danni is distraught to find herself transformed into a malign and jealous character on the page. She seeks respite from the hurt by telling her own story: The Housekeeper.
What unforeseen encounters, what forbidden feelings can inspire a writer? With flair and panache, Rose Tremain has invented the story of how a great novel of the past came into being and in turn creates a masterwork of her own.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781784745936
Number of pages: 352
Dimensions: 240 x 156 x 40 mm
Weight: 750 g
Language: English
'Exquisitely drawn, poignant and devastating. Rose Tremain is masterful in her depiction of a summer romance, and how a shared experience can be so utterly different for the people involved' - Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars
'An absolute masterclass in character and style. The Housekeeper is a novel of patient observation and irresistible passion all at once. Just as this novel grows from between the lines of another, so we see the great layering of Tremain’s writing. It is, in some ways, a book of half-lived lives. It is also a book of what can be imagined, the possibilities of desires followed, ambitions pursued' - Claire Lynch, author of A Family Matter
‘A sweeping, atmospheric story of forbidden love, power and privilege. The Housekeeper shines a devastating light on one of the most iconic characters in twentieth-century fiction and the nature of authorship itself. A must-read for all du Maurier fans’ - Erin Kelly, author of The Night Stairs
The Eights
Taiwan Travelogue
We All Live Here
The Divorce
The Daisy Chain Flower Shop
What We Can Know
The Correspondent
I Who Have Never Known Men
When the Cranes Fly South
Heated Rivalry
By Your Side
The Wedding People
The Impossible Fortune
The Things We Never Say
"...That was a statement my father used to utter frequently, that we only have one lif, but he used to add something els. he used to say, 'The secret of a successful One Life is to cram many lives into it.... More
I was sent an advance proof copy of The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain to read and review by NetGalley. I love Rose Tremain’s writing so I was eager to request and read this book and it did not disappoint. One thing I... More
Oh my what an intriguing storyline. For the most part, it’s quite a sad novel delving into the life of Danni, a Polish-born Housekeeper, who meets and falls in love with Daphne du Maurier. Over the years Danni has... More
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