Manderley has become mistress of Manderley, senses an atmosphere of doom about it, due to the death of Max's first wife (the titular Rebecca), and it is hinted that she haunts the estate. Childhood visits to Milton Hall, Cambridgeshire, home of the Fitzwilliam family, influenced the descriptions of Manderley, especially the interior. She told the 10th Earl Fitzwilliam in a letter that when she wrote "Rebecca" 20 years later, the interior of Manderley was based on her recollection of the rooms and 'big house feel' of Milton in the First World War. The adult du Maurier's Cornish home near Fowey, called
What I Was the austere self-sufficiency of the period, which appeals to Hilary. The sinking of England's eastern coastline is also often mentioned. The sunken city and Roman fort are the focus of a sailing expedition in the earlier part of the book. Later in the same year, Finn's shack becomes flooded. In the closing chapter, set in the mid-21st century, the old man's boat passes over the school, now completely consumed by the rising sea. What I Was What I Was is Meg Rosoff's third novel for young adults. The book was published in 2007, and was shortlisted for both the Costa