The Winters is a modern reworking of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and while it draws heavily on its source material, Lisa Gabriele also manages to pull off a stylish new twist in her take on the haunting psychological suspense.

The Winters works surprisingly well, whether or not you’re familiar with Daphne du Maurier’s original. There are enough familiar elements for readers to recognise, while the changes and additions make sense and give the story a refresh, making the case for this update.

I liked the location change as it helps Lisa Gabriele not only give a nod to her inspiration but make the story her own. She moves the action from Monte Carlo and Cornwall to the US equivalent of their European counterparts in the Cayman Islands and the Hamptons on the southern tip of New York’s Long Island. This, in turn, feeds into the types of characters we encounter, their social circles and backgrounds.

What further updates the story is that Mrs Danvers’ character, a housekeeper in the original, here becomes future stepdaughter, Dani. This change worked really well for me, as both narrator and reader simultaneously question how much of Dani’s behaviour is attributable to the loss of her mother, the sudden appearance of her replacement or simply that she’s currently fifteen and very good at it.

There are other changes which I won’t go into here but these not only chimed with this more modern story but still also left sufficient menace hanging over the characters. Anyway, as the story progressed, I found myself minding less and less where The Winters differed from Rebecca and simply becoming more involved in its fresh take on a chilling story.

The Winters swept me along, frantically trying to unravel what was happening and relishing the opportunity of trying to get there before the narrator did. Not only a successful nod to du Maurier’s Rebecca, The Winters is a seriously good suspenseful standalone in its own right.

"Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again."

If that opening sentence doesn’t draw you in, little else will. Heavily inspired by Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, The Winters does an excellent job of being an exciting psychological suspense novel all on its own. So if you never read the classic, don’t fret!

The Cayman Islands. A slice of paradise on earth. But for our nameless main character, for her name is never revealed, it is anything but. Struggling to make ends meet, she seems doomed to live in poverty. Until she meets Max Winter, a wealthy senator, who sweeps her off her feet. After a whirlwind romance, Max takes his new fiancé home to Asherley, to his secluded mansion and to a life his fiancé has never known.

There is a dark cloud hanging over this secluded spot though. It comes in the shape of Max’s first wife, Rebekah. Memories of Rebekah are seeped into the mansion’s walls and haunt our nameless character, feeding her insecurities and imagination. And Max’s teenage daughter, Dani, isn’t exactly welcoming her new stepmother with open arms either.

The new Mrs Winter will soon discover Asherley holds a multitude of secrets. Who can she trust? Is her life in danger? Is she merely imagining things or are there far more sinister things ahead?

As a reimagining of a classic, this works really well. But like I said at the start, if you’ve never read the original, that isn’t a problem. Plenty of things have been changed, like the setting and the characters but The Winters is just as tense and atmospheric. I found the build-up a bit on the slow side, although it did give me a fantastic insight into the kind of person the new Mrs Winter is. Her background story makes it easy to sympathise with some of her decisions.

As to what exactly is going on at Asherley, I didn’t have a clue. The minute I thought I had it figured out, something would happen that made me doubt my theory. As the suspense grew and the threatening vibe increased, I found myself utterly engrossed. With plenty of twists and turns, this is a thoroughly enjoyable psychological thriller that completely drew me in.

Grabbed me from the start! One of those books you can't put down until you know how it ends. Highly recommended.

The Winters is an audacious book, in that it grabs very explicitly the iconic story Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, in both hands and writes a bold new modern-day retelling of Max Winter and his new wife, following the death of his first wife Rebecca (or Rebekah in this novel). I can’t work out if this is a good move or not. To be compared so obviously to the classic is a daunting task, even with unique perspectives. Reading this book I’m both fortunate and unfortunate. Fortunate that I’ve not read Rebecca so I’m not comparing it to the original and can treat as a new story, unfortunate in that I’ve not read Rebecca and can’t compare to the referenced original.

The Winters in a psychological thriller that is devious in its intent. My sense of Rebecca is that it is dark and foreboding, with a repressive and menacing atmosphere that deeply affects the new wife. That is not a sense that is portrayed in this book. There is an obvious impact on the new wife as she navigates the dramatic transition from a poor life in the Cayman Islands to the unimaginable opulence of living on a private Island, connected by a causeway to the Hamptons coastline in Long Island. The Asherley estate is home to Max Winter and his daughter Dani Winter. The essence of Rebekah is still felt throughout the house with its design, décor and furnishings, and it is difficult for 15-year-old Dani to accept a new mother figure when she loved her Mother so much. Dani is the centre of the tension in this story both with the new stepmother and her father Max, the quarrels are very believable and the typical teenager debates are well developed. She appears very confident is some aspects yet in turmoil and struggling to come to terms with the loss of her Mother and the connection with her Father. She is, however, very capable of being destructive, to herself and her family.

Lisa Gabriele writes a wonderful novel full of family secrets, devious plotting, political ambition, greed and a search for genuine love. The new (unnamed) wife is a great character that is treading very carefully amongst family tensions, swayed by a desire to build relationships, yet strong enough to address issues that she feels are important. Max is plotting his Senator re-election and is absent for large periods which leaves the new Mrs Winters forging relationships with the staff, Max’s sister Louisa, and more problematically Dani. She does have this recurring nightmare that:

"Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again."

The story is entertaining and engrossing, and the plot is imaginatively developed with some amazing surprises that build to a breath-taking and climactic finale. Perhaps Lisa Gabriele felt that if she had written Rebecca, there were a number of elements she would change, and hence we have The Winters. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful page-turning story in its own right and I highly recommend it.

I would like to thank Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.

I think this book would’ve worked better as a novel in its own right. For me the concept of it being a’remake’ of Daphe Du Maurier’s Rebecca didn't quite work as I couldn't avoid the comparison, which by no means could be in favour of The Winters. The quality of writing, the depth of the characters and the originality of the plot were nowhere near the original.

All in all it was an easy and engaging read, which didn’t stand out amongst so many similar others, but I did feel cheated by its claims to being the modern version of Rebecca.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Penguin Random House for the ARC.

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2018/11/13/the-winters-by-lisa-gabriele/
Okay, Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier is one of my all time favourite reads. I’ve read it many times and to be honest I like quite a number of her other books as well. She has a magical ability with words, one that will charm and transport you and some of her stories are just so good. Anyway, I’m not here to review those am I? I just wanted to point out that the original story is special to me and so any sort of retelling has big boots to fill in fact I freely admit that I almost go into a book like this with negative emotions – kind of along the lines ‘how very dare you tamper with such a firm favourite’.

With that in mind, and although this is a retelling of sorts – it’s not the same as the original. This is a more modern version and it has a different slant. To be honest I enjoyed reading this for different reasons. I liked all the references to the original, especially the way they’ve been tweaked, I thought the writing was really good and I just enjoyed the story, it’s easy to get along with and fast paced. Rebecca this isn’t. Then again does it need to be? Here we have a similar story, similar characters and a unique new twist told with a modern voice and to be fair, whilst I may love the classics they’re not everyone’s cup of tea so I have to say bravo to Lisa Gabriele not only for taking me back down a storyline, albeit different, that I love, but for bringing it into the present era very successfully and maybe capturing a whole new audience.

In terms of the story. The start is chillingly familiar, even the opening lines, though tweaked slightly, are enough to give you the chills “Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again.” We follow a similar whirlwind romance between a gauche young woman and a sophisticated older man. The unnamed woman has no family and lives something of a withdrawn lifestyle, beholden to the woman who employs her. Max Winter lost his wife in a tragic accident, he resides in an impressive mansion reached only by a causeway. Like the original Max he’s somewhat reflective or melancholy, unapproachable if you will, unlike the original this Max has a teenage daughter – Dani. And there begins the start of the differences. Dani is an out of control teenager. Beautiful and a little bit caustic she does tend to make life difficult for those around her and so when she decides to help out with Max and his young bride’s future wedding arrangements then you better believe that things could go very wrong indeed.

My constant refrain with reviews at the moment seems to be ‘I don’t want to give away spoilers’ and even I’m getting bored of myself. But, at the same time The Winters is another book that I don’t want to spoil so I’m not going to elaborate further on the plot but will keep this fairly short and sweet. Other than to say I didn’t see the twist at the end – it will be interesting to see what Rebecca fans make of it – I have to say it took me completely by surprise but not in a bad way.

I had a good time reading this. I loved the references to the original work, I really enjoyed the modern approach with the use of social media and the way Dani appears to be something of a bully who is able to smoothly manipulate Max’s young inexperienced wife. I like that this newer tale tries to give the main character a little bit more agency – although not too much, after all, her gullibility and fear of not being accepted are what really help the plot in both stories. And, I thought the ending was great for more reasons than one.

In terms of criticisms – the ending felt a little rushed. Otherwise I don’t have anything else to throw into the pot.

Here we have a book with many similarities that I think is worth reading both for itself and also to see the new twists. It’s not a retelling so much as a reimagined version and I think it brings a really good story to a whole new audience and that’s something that I have to applaud. I’d like to think that there might be a few curious minds out there that will go and check out the original just on the strength of this book and with that in mind it makes a great conversation piece just observing the differences in opinion.

Okay, in conclusion, this might not be Rebecca but it’s a very easy to read and quite gripping tale and one that I think will hold quite a lot of appeal. I thought the author’s style was persuasive and runs a fine line between trying to maintain some of the original innocence whilst including more modern themes.

You’ll have to forgive me for saying that I prefer the original duMaurier story but I really do appreciate this author’s modern version of that classic and I hope this succeeds both on it’s own and also as a highlight and a means of inspiring others to read the original.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

After what was, for me, a disappointing start, this did gather momentum as the main character developed.
What appears, at first, to be a somewhat typical love story of a poor girl made good, this becomes less straightforward and the reader is consistently wondering whether the daughter's improving sentiments towards the main character are genuine or not. Just as you pat yourself on the back for having worked out the daughter's wicked crime towards the end, Gabriele increases the drama and complicates the story with the less expected.

A gripping read for lovers of romance with that extra little bit of mystery and wickedness included.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Harvill Secker for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Drawn into a whirlwind romance, a young woman moves into the grand, secluded mansion of her fiance, Max Winters. But the house is drenched in memories of his dead wife, Rebekah, and their teen daughter, Dani, is determined to make her life a living hell. As the future Mrs Winter’s fears grow, she is dragged further and further into the family’s dark secrets.

The Winters is apparently a re-telling of the classic novel Rebecca. This information doesn’t seem to be made as obvious as it perhaps should be. I haven’t read Rebecca so can’t make comparisons, but it feels important to note than the story isn’t entirely original.

The unnamed lead character is incredibly annoying. It also seems very unlikely that someone so self-deprecating and self-conscious would ever end up with a man like Max Winter. It frustrated me to no end that she let him shout at her and make unreasonable decisions like keeping the greenhouse locked without any explanation or discussion. Their relationship was very one-sided and I kind of hated her for being so weak and useless. Also, I didn’t see how she could have spent her whole life on an island and not have made a single friend or important relationship. Yes, she has no family, but how has she lived this long without a single friend or close acquaintance. I just didn’t find it believable.

I didn’t love this book, or particularly like it. But, I did read it all the way to the end, so it wasn’t completely bad.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A bit predictable.
I can imagine that if a reader had not read the original book, they would find this really enjoyable. However, I had, therefore I was pretty annoyed at the beginning with some parts closely following the original books, yet it had been set in the US. Unfortunately, anyone who has read the original book has a fair idea how it will end. To be fair, once I had got over that (and what I thought was a weak beginning) I did quite enjoy the middle section, although the 'twists' were fairly predictable.
I guess I felt that this book would have been much more fun if it hadn't tried to imitate Rebecca, and just had original names. Trying to attract readers by connecting it to Du Maurier was, in my opinion, just going to make someone who had read her books feel 'meh', rather than happy.

This is not my usual type of book but the mystery element drew me in.
I really enjoyed it and have to say I was keen for it all to work out in the end.
The main character is not named in the book which is a bit strange so it’s hard to write about her!
I can say that she is a strong character who falls head over heels in love with Max.
When he proposes and takes her home to his mansion she meets his teenage daughter, who seems far from happy to meet her.
With the presence of Max’s dead wife affecting her life she struggles to fit in but then things seem to improve for a while.
The wedding is a real turning point and then something happens that will change their lives forever.
This is a great read and I’d like to thank Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Winters, Lisa Gabriele's spin on the du Maurier classic Rebecca, is a tale set in the affluent and glamorous world of the Asherley Estate where Mr and Mrs Winters reside. Although the author has liberally borrowed from the original, she does at least add some unique touches of her own. Now I am not usually a fan of novels set in opulent surroundings with characters who value money and social standing far more than morality or love, but I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Ms Gabriele relocates the story to the New York Hamptons from Cornwall, where Rebecca was set, creating an American feel in the process, and I really felt as though she manifested a chilling atmosphere with menace slowly building up over the course of the novel. The author certainly knows how to reel the reader in right away and how to hold them in place until the end. The twisty surprises were excellent and very well executed, and as in Rebecca, the plot surrounds secrets, lies and obsession. Overall, this is a dark, brooding psychological thriller that was an easy read for me. The writing was ideal, the surprises wholly unpredictable and characters that are so, so intriguing. I look forward to what Ms Gabriele produces in the future!

Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The Winters by Lisa Gabrielle is the first book I have read by this author so didn’t know what to expect but in the whole this was an enjoyable read, I had read that this was a modern take of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier but as I’ve not, for some reason read that I couldn’t make any comparisons to that.
The main character is introduced to us at the start and it did bug me a little that we didn’t get to know her name but that soon disappeared as I got deeper into the book. The second Mrs Winters is a good relatable character and helped with this book immensely as I could have put this down about half way as nothing much seemed to be happening. Laureen was my favourite character albeit she wasn’t in it much but when she was, she was and was in the background a bit as well.
The ending of this rollercoaster read was nothing like what I had envisaged and made it worth while to get there. The ending rounded everything up nicely but still left you with room to expand on their futures.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, Harvill Secker for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Penguin Random House/Vintage for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Winters’, a contemporary romantic thriller inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’.

Like Lisa Gabriele I loved ‘Rebecca’ and du Maurier’s other works as well as those Gothic romances of writers such as Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart. Their plots inevitably have a plain, unsophisticated young woman finding herself caught up a romance with a sophisticated, mysterious (and usually wealthy) man harbouring a dark secret. While not a genre I have continued reading that often in recent years to discover one paying homage to ‘Rebecca’ was a must read.

Gabriele relocates the main setting from Cornwall to the New York Hamptons and changes Mrs. Danvers, the sinister housekeeper of the original, to Dani, the spoiled and antagonistic 15-year old daughter of Max and the first Mrs. Winter, Rebekah. It’s a very clever transformation allowing new challenges for the unnamed narrator to overcome.

I totally enjoyed it from the start. I felt it honoured the original novel while giving a modern perspective on its themes. I began reading this morning and have just zoomed through. Twists, turns and thrills galore.

I feel it will have a wide appeal. It is certainly not necessary to have read ‘Rebecca’ to appreciate ‘The Winters’ though for those unfamiliar with du Maurier it may serve as incentive to seek out her writings.

An easy 5 stars and I have purchased my own Kindle edition as well.

Yes, this blurb is indeed reminiscent of one of the greatest stories ever written, Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca. Deliberately so, for The Winters is a contemporary re-imagining of this classic psychological thriller. Though it stands in its own right, the author has liberally borrowed from the plot to create an American version with similarities, but many differences, too.

Wealthy New York Senator, Max Winter is in the Cayman Islands when he meets a naïve young woman working in the marina where he hires his yachts for fishing trips. Max Winter is a widower with a teenage daughter and soon our lonely Cinderella is caught headlong in a whirlwind romance as he sweeps her off her feet.

Soon they are engaged to be married and he takes her back to Asherley, his ancient family mansion in the Hamptons.

Such grandeur is alien to our Cinderella and she soon finds that the presence of Max’s deceased first wife, Rebekah, looms large in the mansion, from her photographs everywhere to the top floor of the grand house which is where she had her quarters and which remain as they were when she was alive.

As if that were not enough, Max’s daughter Dani, seems to be going through a mega teenage rebellion and is both difficult and resentful towards the bride to be. Full of unsuppressed rage and dark as the solitary nights at Asherley, Dani is a whirlwind of emotions all of which are directed at our protagonist, leaving her feeling emotionally bruised.

A story of family secrets, obsession and lies, this is a light and entertaining reworking of the original story with some very different plot twists and a huge helping of dark and brooding menace.

Verdict: It’s not the original, but it’s entertaining enough and a fast paced read.

Lisa Gabriele does a good job of reworking Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca in her latest book The Winters.

After a whirlwind romance, our narrator becomes engaged to the recently widowed senator Max Winter.

When they meet, she is working to pay off a debt to her tyrannical boss Laureen after she paid the debts surrounding her father’s death. Debts which Laureen likes to use as leverage to get her to do things nobody else wants to do.

On this particular day Max is looking to hire a boat from the company to take out the following day and that is when they meet. After he leaves she is filled in on the tragic death of his wife and the troublesome nature of his daughter Dani.

“The daughter though? Total piece of work. The biggest snotnosed brat ever.”

After a short time, he takes her back to his luxurious home on his private island, but she struggles to adjust to the change in her circumstances when she is used to ferrying people like Max around on fishing trips.

But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. She is constantly being bombarded with reminders of Max's first wife Rebekah and his teenage daughter Dani is determined to let her know she isn't welcome.

The soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter gets drawn deeper into the family’s dark secrets and the more she learns the more scared she becomes.

“Never did it occur to me that I would one day meet Dani and come to know her, and that the question of her well-being, her sanity, would be of paramount concern to me, to my happiness, to my very life.”

When I first started reading this, I wasn’t sure if this was going to be my thing as I am not a huge fan of romance and thrillers are a bit tricky for me as I tend to guess what is coming and that isn’t always a good thing. In this case I did guess some of the major twists, but I don’t think it detracted from the novel.

The Winters was atmospheric and gripping from the first few lines:

“Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again. It had been a while since I had that dream, not since we left Asherly, a place I called home for one Winter and the bittersweet part of Spring, the dream only ever recurring when Max was gone and I’d find myself alone with Dani.”

The Winters was an enjoyable read.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is one of my all time favourite books so I was really excited to read this modern retelling of the classic. The Winters starts off in a similar vein to the original but with the added intriguing twist of a daughter existing between Max and his first wife, Rebekah. I thought this was a really smart move and a great addition because it created a whole other layer to the story which I loved. Also like the original the reader never learns the name of our main character. I actually liked her more than the main character of the original, she seemed to have slightly more grit and strength than the original although they are set in totally different time periods so this could be part of the reason that she comes across as more of a feminist and ever so slightly less self deprecating.

I tore through the pages of this book extremely quickly. It was totally addictive and so readable and the story moved at a great pace. Whilst it is obviously taking it’s inspiration from Rebecca, it never feels predictable at all because the author has thrown in some really interesting twists that keep the reader on their toes! I was completely drawn into this tale, it’s actually more of a reinterpretation of the original book than a straight out retelling and is brilliant in a very different way. There was an eerie atmosphere all the way through and also a strong theme of disillusionment which lends the story a kind of sadness which I thought was beautifully done.

Without giving away anything about the plot, I also must say that I thought the ending was fantastic. The direction it took was a surprise for me and was totally different to how I thought things would end up which I always enjoy. The ending wraps things up in a satisfying way but also leaves the reader with an almost ominous sense of mystery which suits this story perfectly. Overall, I think The Winters is a great read, whether you have read the original Rebecca or not. It is skilfully written with a fabulous sense of foreboding hanging over it and I highly recommend it!

A modern take on Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
I enjoyed the book but couldn't help but make comparisons, there are enough difference to make for an interesting read but taking on re working such a fabulous classic was always going to be hard.
The book is well written and has good characterisation, Lisa Gabriele obviously has talent and I look forward to reading an original story from her.

A vivid depiction of life in the Caribbean and a passionate love story. However, the move to the States and meeting family showed up the first cracks in the relationship. Was the troubled daughter really as bad as painted? Was the first wife as perfect as painted?
I cannot remember Daphne du Maurier's story in much detail, but I was taken by surprise at the twists and turns as the story developed. A satisfying read and ending, loved it.

A very readable modern day take on Daphne du Mauriers Rebecca.
Set in modern day America although it follows closely to the Rebecca plot it has a lot of different plot lines with a twist on the end of the tale.
Easy to read and very fast paced
Well worth a read and four stars.

This is an enjoyable reboot of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca, this time set in the USA. The contemporary setting is interesting and there are a few little twists but the story is very much like the original, maybe a little too much. Readers who are new to the story may enjoy it more than diehard fans of the classic original. Still a good read though.