9. REBECCA Daphne Du Maurier

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again” is one of the most famous opening lines in literature. A naive young heroine (who is never named) falls for handsome widower Maxim Du Winter, only to find him – and his ancestral home in Cornwall – haunted by the memory of his beautiful first wife, Rebecca, who drowned in mysterious circumstances.

VIRAGO