Frankie recommends... The Housekeeper - Rose Tremain

Frankie says... An absolutely mesmerizing reimagination of the genesis of the twentieth century's most remembered stories, Rebecca. I was swept away by Tremain's prose and totally engrossed, shirking many work and home responsibilities to read. The novel explores the catalyst and consequences of a forbidden love affair between Daphne (du Maurier) and 'Danni', the housekeeper at Manderville Hall. Starting to sound familiar? When you come across fiction this brilliant, it's a wrestle between keeping quiet and savouring this delicious find to yourself or shouting from the rooftops. The easiest 5 stars I've given this year!

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Mrs Danowski – known as Danni – is the housekeeper of a grand mansion on the wild coast of Cornwall. When 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.