In the wake of the film,  The New York Times Book Review published an article highlighting the novels' many similarities prompting du Maurier to rebuff claims of plagiarism in a Letter to the Editor, where she wrote that she had not heard of Nabuco or A Sucessora until the previous year. Du Maurier's publishers also denied any intentional similarities between the two works, although Nabuco herself believed that her work had been plagiarized and there were claims that du Maurier's publisher intentionally gave her a copy of Nabuco's manuscript.
The controversy over the similarities between du Maurier's novel and Nabuco's work led to du Maurier's response in a letter to the editor, where she denied plagiarism and claimed ignorance of Nabuco or A Sucessora until the previous year. Du Maurier's publishers also disputed any intentional similarities.