The Winters by Lisa Gabriele is a ‘retelling’ of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, originally published in 1938, and updates the story to a contemporary setting, this time relocating the grand mansion (Asherley instead of Manderley) to a private island in the US instead of a secluded estate in Cornwall, England. Most of the elements are intact, although there are adjustments to reflect the more modern attitudes of today and the use of contemporary technology.

I should start by saying that I think Rebecca is one of the greatest suspense novels of the twentieth century, and as such sets an almost impossible standard for any author to emulate. And I can’t say that Gabriele does a bad job of updating the story, it’s just that the whole thing feels so much weaker than the original. I found the first quarter of the book to be an unbelievably hard slog. It seemed to tick every clichéd romance stereotype I could think off, as the recently widowed but wealthy man sweeps our heroine off her feet and plunges her into a sumptuous world of manor houses and a lavish fantasy lifestyle. Max Winter’s daughter, Dani, is a fresh take on Mrs Danvers, delivering a recognisable reason for the cold resentment that festers between the characters. Gabriele’s writing is mostly workmanlike, rarely rising to anything near the elegance of du Maurier’s prose, but manages to tell its story adequately and with a decent pace. The novel undoubtedly improves once the characters leave the Cayman Islands and relocate to Asherley, with the spectre of Rebekah taking more of a backseat than in the original. The conflict between the narrator, Max Winter and Dani is handled well, with a subplot involving Dani’s backstory further adding a fresh twist to the proceedings.

The ending will offer few surprises to those who have read Rebecca, although there are a couple of nice twists relating to the new plot strands that the author has created. However the final chapter felt flat, heavily reliant on exposition, and almost tagged-on to the rest of the novel. Overall, this book didn’t quite work for me. As a ‘domestic noir’, it offers enough to keep most readers entertained, but there is nothing ground-breaking here, and by inviting comparisons by it being inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic, it is always going to seem a pale imitation.

Loosely based on Daphne Du Mauriers Rebecca. I did enjoy this book, and found it dark and foreboding in parts. a psychological thriller worth reading. Dont expect Cornwall and Manderley as it's set in America, but still enjoyable.

Interesting spin on a favoured classic. Although obviously a similar story, it had a very different feel. I think this would be enjoyed by fans of Rebecca even though the more modern setting detracts from some of the spookiness of the original.

Very well written, engrossing, and heart-poundingly gripping at the end. I could feel the emotions of the characters. Very much enjoyed the writing style l.

A dark new look at one of my favourite books ever written, and with twists and turns along the way. I couldn't wait to finish it and find out what on earth was going on - really exciting and totally unforeseen ending. Gripping.

This book has all the markings of a good British tv drama. A whirlwind romance, a handsome husband and a mysterious house with so many secrets hidden behind the windows. This was a good and solid read, highly entertaining. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this modern reimaging of Du Maurier's Rebecca. I felt it stayed true to the original novel whilst giving it an up to date perspective on the key themes. You'll soon become immersed in the Winters dark & twisty lives. It is a slow burner at the beginning but if you stick with it, its worth it and there will soon come a point when you won't want to put it down!

Atmospheric & haunting this is very clever and unique in its own right read. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes an intense psychological thriller. This smart mystery stays with you long after you've turned the last page.

Thank-you Random House UK & Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an open & honest review.

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Really enjoyed this book. I gather it has shades of Rebecca but having not read that previously, I just enjoyed it in its own right. It took me a little while to get into it but once the narrator gets to Asherley, I was completely hooked. Loved the twists and turns towards the end and the fast pace as the plot gathers momentum.

I haven't read Rebecca, so can't compare and wouldn't want to. Max Winter is a widower and he has a whirlwind romance with the narrator. It was a predictable read but not memorable for me. It's set in New York Hamptons, but the characters don't arrest me in any way. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Rebecca set in modern-day America shouldn't work but it does, and brilliantly. The Winters exploits the unspoken class system and takes the well-known story into a new strong direction.

When I was a little kid I loved Rebecca and when I found about this title I couldn’t wait to read it. A fantastic tale of love ans betrayal.

Well. This has me feeling like a fool. I was convinced that I'd reviewed this book already, but I hadn't. However, the reason I thought I'd already reviewed it was that I absolutely raved about it to everyone who would listen, and even a few people that wouldn't!

The story follows a young, inexperienced woman who while working on the boats in the Cayman Islands meets Max, a rich and handsome politician recently widowed. A passionate whirlwind romance quickly follows and she follows her heart to marry Max and move with him to his secluded mansion on Long Island. Life is not all that she hoped for however, when the home turns out to be a house full of reminders of his previous life, his daughter is openly hostile to the new woman in his life, and there are secrets always clamouring to oppress her newfound happiness.

So, obviously this is a modern day retelling of the Daphne Du Maurier classic, Rebecca. I'll be honest, that immediately had this book at a disadvantage to me. Rebecca is one of my favourite books, I've read it several times and always loved it, although each time for a different reason. I'm all for taking inspiration from classics, but for some reason I suspected this novel would feel offensive. It really didn't, and deserves to be read both as a text that reworks Rebecca, and as a novel in its own right. It was thrilling, and tangled. Atmospheric and unsettling. This is a tense, and exciting read, with a richly imagined and inhabited world that has stuck with me although I read it several months ago. It was just fabulous.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for my copy in return for an honest review.

The rags to riches tale of an unnamed narrator who falls for the wealthy American senator, Max Winters. he is rentng a boat in the Cayman Islands, she works for the company. They genuinely seem to fall in love and she returns to the wealthy Hamptons with him, to his family home, Asherley. What did happen to his mysterious first wife, Rebekah? And will his troubled teenage daughter, Dani, ever take to her new stepmother? There are secrets and stories at every turn, and it is never going to turn out well. I hadn't quite guessed the outcome, but I was racing through the pages, on the edge of my seat. #thewinters #netgalley

This was an absorbing story with amazing twists and turns.. The characters were cleverly developed and totally unexpected. The story moves rapidly towards its climax and ends with a great conclusion.. Loved it!

Plot: Based around the infamous Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Winters gives us a modern and updated take on the classic story. A whirlwind romance in the Caribbean, where our unnamed narrator lives, results in her returning to Asherley, the Long Island mansion of her new, wealthy fiance Max Winter. Her presence is at once unwelcome and echoes of Rebekah, his previous wife, haunt her at every turn, from the servants who still talk about her, to her obsessed and rebellious teenage daughter, Dani.

My thoughts: Having read and enjoyed Rebecca a few years ago, I was intrigued by a modern take on it, although I had concerns that it might be too much of a spin off. Fortunately, this is a book that stands alone in its own right – you could read this without knowing the backstory of Rebecca and very much enjoy it for the story it tells.
I loved the characterisation in this – both that the new Mrs Winter isn’t a simple flaky character and the new teenage Dani Winter – wow, she’s a whirlwind of a character! She brings vibrancy and life to this novel, as well as being a little bit scary.
The plot is twisty and turny – excellent! – packed full of secrets and lies. It does the original justice and adds a wonderful modern twist. This was my last read of 2018 and quite possibly one of my favourites too!

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book being a modernised version of Rebecca. It started well, but I found that it went same way as a lot of current thrillers and while it was a good read, it was pretty predictable.

Starts well but loses pace as the book goes on. The story is strong enough to hold the attention but the characterisation is very one dimensional. This is redeemed by the increased pace and twists of the final chapters.

a gripping updating of Rebecca, with some great characterisation, twists & thrills. Whilst it doesn't match the original in gothic feels, it nails the confused (and confusing) characters & motivation

I was really excited to read The Winters and was very happy when I was sent a copy to review, it felt like it was going to be the perfect read in the runup to Halloween and it turned out it was, there's no denying the opening line “Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again” is striking and lures you in. I ended up reading this one in a day or two as I flicked through eager to see what was going to happen, the story follows an orphaned and unnamed narrator as she falls for the older, wealthy New York Senator and recently widowed, Max Winters as he holidays in the Cayman Islands, Max is charming yet somewhat damaged having recently lost his wife Rebekah, mother of his troublesome teenage Daughter, Dani and he soon meets the soon to be second Mrs Winters who works at a boat shack that Max frequents, both of them bonding over their seemingly troubled pasts, they fall for each other very early on in the book and it's not long before she's whisked back to Asherley, his Long Island mansion, which was somewhat of a passion project of his former wife and is definitely an underlying element throughout the whole book, Asherley is dark and compelling and a stark contrast to the opening setting of the Cayman Islands, it adds a sense of unease throughout the whole book.

I haven't read Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca that this book is based on so I can't comment on the similarities but there's definitely an eeriness and sense of foreboding to this story that I have heard the original does have, as each new character is introduced, you can't help but wonder how they will play into the book, it kept me guessing until the very end and was a thoroughly enjoyable if not slightly creepy read, perfect for these darker winter months.

I forgot that this was a modern retelling of Rebecca so for about the first 30 pages I was a bit like...."er, this has been done before" but then i re-read the description and it all fell into place.

Our impoverished narrator, has a whirlwind romance with Max Winter who takes her back to his family mansion on an island off the coast in New England. Entering a life of luxury with wealth she's never known before, everything seems perfect. But with her new husband disappearing to the city on regular overnight stays, the spectre of his dead wife Rebekah haunts the house. As our narrator tries to build a relationship with her tempestuous Dani, she discovers family secrets that could cost her her life..

I have to say, despite loving Rebecca and thinking nothing could better it, I was utterly gripped by this novel. The pacing was spot on and the descriptions and atmosphere were excellent. A perfect holiday or Xmas read. I'd definitely read something by Gabriele again.