Rating: 
Summary: A Must-Read
Review: If you haven't read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, then shame on you. Although this novel can stand proudly on its own, it is actually a "companion" to the du Maurier classic about the tragic death of a woman named Rebecca. Rebecca ends when a fire claims her beloved mansion Manderley the same night an inquest has ruled her death a suicide. Rebecca's Tale begins twenty years later and builds on the questions deliberately left unanswered by the first novel. This novel can be read independently of du Maurier's work because Beauman deftly weaves the original story into the fabric of this one without compromising the sense of mystery or du Maurier's style, which she emulates, not imitates. Although somewhat darker than the original, it is no less readable. Beauman takes Rebecca's character to the depths only hinted at by du Maurier; in fact, at times it seems as though Rebecca may well have earned her fate. Beauman reveals Rebecca and her tale through four different narrators, including Rebecca herself. Each narrator is equally credible, but whose perspective is nearest the "truth"?
This is a must read: Beauman's unique talent has resulted in a sequel that both lauds its predecessor and is an experience itself.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Mystery
Review: In this novel following in the footsteps of the famous REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier, Manderley is revisited in 1951, twenty years following Rebecca's death. Colonel Julyan, former magistrate for the districts of Kerrith and Manderley, had previously been involved in the inquest where Rebecca's death was ruled a suicide thereby exonerating her husband, Maxim de Winter. When a mysterious parcel arrives bearing Rebecca's notebook along with a postcard of her as a young child, the Colonel is forced to recreate his memories of Rebecca and Manderley where she lived. Adding to the reopening of old wounds is the presence of outsider Terence Gray, who seems to have a single-minded interest in the mystery of Rebecca's death. As Mr. Gray becomes the talk of Kerrith, and spinster ladies link him to Ellie, the Colonel's unmarried daughter, the Colonel receives more interesting parcels. Ellie, Gray, and Julyan are caught up in a web that is so intricate in its weave, the reader will not want to miss a word of their tale as hidden truths of the past are disclosed. Gray leads the reader on a merry journey in his quest for self-discovery leading to Rebecca and her haunting legacy. From her journals and first-person accounts of encounters with Rebecca, she remains as much an enigma as she did in Ms. du Maurier's novel. As the intensity of this read increases, so does the complexity of its characters. Those inhabitants of Manderley, who appear at first very commonplace, become so much more as the many layers of their personalities are carefully revealed. For a superbly crafted read with much mystery, some romance, and a pinch of the paranormal, REBECCA'S TALE is a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: You can't go home again
Review: Like everyone else who's ever read it, I've been haunted by Daphne Du Maurier's 'Rebecca'. I read the early reviews of 'Rebecca's Tale' and knew I was taking a chance, but I figured what the heck. Early into 'Rebecca's Tale', I was captivated and couldn't put it down. It seemed a marvelous twist on the original. Then--what can I say?--new age sensiblities started raising their ugly heads and the whole thing desolved into a feminist rant. Sally Beauman's portrayal of Rebecca is particularly strange. This woman/child in no way matches the original Rebecca, who--even though dead before the story takes place--is still a powerful character. Beauman's rendition of the second Mrs. De Winter is even worse. She turns her into cardboard. It seems to me that the further Beauman got into her book, the less it had to do with the original, and the more it became a polemic on coming out of the closet. The main message was 'don't let a man tie you down!' That said, I still gave it two stars because Beauman's prose is quite evocative of Du Maurier's and the first section by 'Colonel Julyan' is superb.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of time, money & shelfspace. Stick to the original.
Review: One of the worst books I have ever read. The character of Colonel Julyan seems to have been based on Louella Parsons or Hedda Hopper, and Rebecca has had a heaping dose of Shirley MacLaine. The author has attempted to give the book more of a duMaurier feel by using surnames from duMaurier's other books for her characters. Descriptions of people and places are lifted almost word-for-word from the original. The book oozes with some of the worst of current politically correct and new age ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: A satisfying romance story...
Review: Rebecca's Tale by talented writer Sally Beauman is a satisfying romantic tale attempting to piece together a twenty year time frame. Secrets, mystery and revelations of an aging man will provide the reader with an ample supply of reading enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: Du Maurier will be pleased
Review: Sequels, especially for famous books with either beloved or intriguing characters, are VERY tough to write. Beauman deserves praise for having tackled Du Maurier's story and continued it, much in the vein of the original storyteller.
One less star because some parts were slow (perhaps the writing follows Du Maurier too literally), and because the ending was a little too contrived between Tom and Ellie, with no hint or set up for it early on in the book.
But the book kept my attention, even in the slow parts, because I'm an avid REBECCA and Du Maurier fan, and Beauman manages to swirl veils of mystery over every aspect of Rebecca's story, lifting them to reveal a detail here, a detail there, well placed and sometimes not anticipated, so all the more pleasurable.
The author knows her REBECCA, this much is for sure. And the Du Maurier estate has chosen well in asking her to write the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: hello?
Review: seriously, has a sequel written by another auther EVER come even close to the original? no. and this is not the only sequel to the amazing novel Rebecca. deconstructing du maurier's deliberate vagueness about rebecca, maxim and his second wife is a doomed and misguided venture from the start. the POINT of the novel was that you don't know. and all attempts to clarify any of this by any other author just have such a feeling of being false even from the start. it isn't what REALLY happened (if anything in a work of fiction can be real), it is someone else's imagination. anyone could say what they thought the truth was, but that would make them no closer to du maurier's true intentions. so-called authors of these types of books need to stop capitalizing on other great works of literature and develop their own ideas. if they can't think of something new, they shouldn't be writers.
Rating:
Summary: COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN
Review: The first chapter may have readers yawning, but keep going! Thirty pages in I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Pale Rebecca
Review: The original _Rebecca_ was fantastic - well-written and beautiful. The followup was, in comparison, dry and almost redundant. Although the characters telling the story changed (often a helpful novelist technique), the voice never did. All of the characters therefore adopted a motonotonous tone in telling their stories. The true power of _Rebecca_ lay in the mystery of a woman never met. Placing her in the full light of day in _Rebecca's Tale_, unfortunately, pales her power and mystery. Having enjoyed _Rebecca_ as much as I did, I found the sequel too flat to relish. Maybe the sequel would be better as a stand-alone rather than a followup story, as others have mentioned.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings - loved some parts, thought others were so-so
Review: The sections on Colonel Julyan and Rebecca herself were the parts I liked best about the book. I felt like the book deteriorated in the last section, written by Colonel Julyan's daughter Ellie. I did agree with one of the other reviewers that the second Mrs. de Winter was reduced to cardboard in this book. I felt she deserved better. But it was interesting to hear things told from Rebecca's viewpoint and to learn something about her childhood, how Mrs. Danvers entered her life, and so on. The only thing is, I can't help but wonder if Rebecca in Rebecca's Tale is not just a sort of re-do of Constance in Dark Angel, by the same author. There seemed to be so many similarities in the characters and their general outlook on life, conflicted feelings regarding their fathers (although that's enlarged on much more in Constance's book), etc. The one scene I really enjoyed in the last section of the book was where Ellie meets and talks with Mrs. Danvers. That part was wonderfully done.
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