In the spirit of Halloween (and an upcoming Netflix adaptation), we’ve selected a classic gothic romance full of suspense for your October 2020 read.
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The second classic book club pick is here, and we’re really excited about it! In fact, our October 2020 read for The Silver Petticoat Book Club is one of our top ten favorite novels of all time!
For those of you new to the book club, we rotate between choosing more recent books and “classic” books every other month, meaning one month we’ll pick a more contemporary book (published 2000 plus, although we’ll give preference to more recently published books) and then the next month we’ll pick a classic book (any book printed before the year 2000).
THE SILVER PETTICOAT BOOK CLUB REVEAL (YOUR OCTOBER 2020 READ!)
The Silver Petticoat Book Club pick of October is…Rebecca, a classic Gothic romance just in time for the spooky month of Halloween!
Now, many of you may already be acquainted with Daphne du Maurier’s novel. A best-seller, Rebecca has never gone out of print since its publication in 1938. Perhaps the several films, theater, and TV adaptations didn’t hurt either.
Indeed, the masterful Hitchcock film starring Laurence Olivier as the wonderfully Byronic Maxim de Winter and Joan Fontaine as the timid Mrs. de Winter even won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. As always, nothing can quite compare to the novel, and Rebecca is a classic for a reason thanks to the compelling characters and psychological suspense.
In Rebecca, an unnamed young and naive narrator meets the dashing and rich widower Maxim de Winter. Soon after, Maxim sweeps her off her feet, marries her, and takes the new Mrs. de Winter to his Cornwall estate named Manderley. And, in grand Jane Eyre-Bronte style, not everything is as perfect as it seems at Maxim’s beautiful home.
You see, there’s the memory of his first wife Rebecca around every corner. Not to mention, the creepily menacing housekeeper Mrs. Danvers devoted to Rebecca. And she reminds Maxim’s new wife just how much she pales in comparison. The cold-hearted housekeeper wishes to break down the new Mrs. de Winter’s spirit. In the meantime, the unnamed narrator also begins to wonder if Maxim even loves her at all.
Overall, there’s jealousy, nail-biting suspense, mystery, an intriguing Byronic Hero, a deviously wonderful villain, and yes, some romance too. This is a Gothic love story, after all.
BOOK BLURB OF REBECCA BY DAPHNE DU MAURIER
Now a Netflix film starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas
“Last Night I Dreamt I went to Manderley Again…”
With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house’s current occupants.
With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim’s first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.
This special edition of Rebecca includes excerpts from Daphne du Maurier’s The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, an essay on the real Manderley, du Maurier’s original epilogue to the book, and more.
A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick.
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(A Book Club Designed to Discuss Great Books with Love Stories from All Genres.)
We’ll discuss Rebecca the final week of October on the three social media channels listed below. However, you can also find some information on The Silver Petticoat Review (subscribe to our newsletter for updates). You can also follow the #TheSilverPetticoatBookClub hashtag on our social media channels.
Read more about The Silver Petticoat Book Club HERE.
What do you think of our classic Silver Petticoat Book Club reveal this month? Do you plan to read our October pick? Have you read Rebecca before (don’t give away spoilers!)? Let us know in the comments.
(NOTE: If you’re a publisher, publicist, or author with a new book that fits The Silver Petticoat Book Club, and would like us to consider it for future picks, please send us an email!)
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission if you choose to buy through our links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read our disclosure for more information.
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