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Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier,

Sally Beauman (Afterword)

Start date: December 1, 2016

Finish date: December 31, 2016

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Mar 09, 2009 Deanna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Full Review of Rebecca can be found at Mom-Musings

I am at a loss for words. I am not certain how to sum up how I felt about this story.
Let me start by saying...Wow! This book gave me a sense of strangeness. The narrator, the second Mrs. de Winter, is never spoken of by her Christian name and she tells her tale as if she is looking upon the events from the outside - this made me feel a bit surreal.

There were times that I was confused in my reading as the story shifts from past, to present, to dr Full Review of Rebecca can be found at Mom-Musings

I am at a loss for words. I am not certain how to sum up how I felt about this story.
Let me start by saying...Wow! This book gave me a sense of strangeness. The narrator, the second Mrs. de Winter, is never spoken of by her Christian name and she tells her tale as if she is looking upon the events from the outside - this made me feel a bit surreal.

There were times that I was confused in my reading as the story shifts from past, to present, to dreamlike wishing thoughts and so forth. Once I got a handle on this flow, the story was smooth as the writing is incredible with the lush and lavish narrative. The narrative was expressive in her thoughts of perception - her impressions and observations while all the while being utterly ignorant of the depths of turmoil that Maxim was experiencing.

I truly felt compassion for our narrator - Mrs. de Winter - as she was so insecure of her worth in life, in her worth as Mrs. de Winter. I felt she had her heart in the right place but did not have the resources to sort it all out. Maxim was of no help in trying to build up his wife's security in his life. Yet, I could not also help to feel a bit disheartened that Mrs. de Winter let things happen to her instead of being a bit more forthright. All though, both herself and Maxim are at fault with lack of open and honest talk of how they felt towards one another. Their example of faulty communication illustrates how a relationship can be stunted.

Rebecca provided many twist and turns. There were several events that took me by surprise and left me with my heart-pounding while my brain was reeling at trying to make sense of it all.

The ending was abrupt and a bit disturbing for me as I just could not shake this overall feeling of heaviness, dread, strangeness, sadness and sense of the surreal.

Did I like this story? One would think that with the desolate atmosphere that I would say, "no, I did not like this story."
However, that would be an untrue statement.

In its very surreal way, I fully liked this story! Why? The story grabbed and held on tight to me. I could not put this book down as I read into the wee hours of the night. I needed to know what was happening, what would come of Mrs. de Winter. I needed to "listen" to her telling. I needed to read this haunting tale.

Rating 4.75/5 stars ...more

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Sep 28, 2014 Shay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, classic, gilmore-challenge, gothic

I love this book. It is so beautifully written. I love the descriptions, the atmosphere, the story kept me glued to the pages. I didn't know much of anything when starting this book. I had assumed the main character was named Rebecca, was surprised to find out that wasn't the case and that she had no name. It did drive me a little crazy at first, especially when her name was alluded to but never said.

As for the characters though, I didn't particularly like any of them at first Maxim was critic I love this book. It is so beautifully written. I love the descriptions, the atmosphere, the story kept me glued to the pages. I didn't know much of anything when starting this book. I had assumed the main character was named Rebecca, was surprised to find out that wasn't the case and that she had no name. It did drive me a little crazy at first, especially when her name was alluded to but never said.

As for the characters though, I didn't particularly like any of them at first Maxim was critical and had some crazy moods. He also wasn't very loving or passionate. Some have claimed this a romance but I wouldn't say it's a romance. The second Mrs. deWinter even compares his affection for her to that of hers with the dog. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see them on their honeymoon. Once they were back at Manderley he was somewhat cold and distant.

As for she who shall not be named, what a doormat! I kept hoping she would speak up. She was just expected to be Rebecca 2.0. She had to have the same routine, put the flowers in the same spot. At the point when she was bothered about the morning room and using Rebecca's things I wanted her to just order the servants to throw out everything and make the room hers.

Mrs. Danvers was horrid. I loved when she was scolded by Max. That woman defiantly forgot her place. She wasn't the mistress of the house she was an employee. I hated how Mrs. de Winter let her get away with treating her so badly. The costumes party? What a bitch! Mrs. Danvers was the worst but really the other servants were bad also in the beginning.

Frank, I loved him. For most of the book I think he was much better than Max. He treated Mrs. deWinter much better, he was more concerned about her and helped her out while Max ignored her or was mean or dismissive.

Once the truth about Rebecca was revealed I was relieved that Mrs. de Winter stood up to Mrs. Danvers. I wasn't surprised to learn about Rebecca, I could tell early on that she wasn't really as great as everyone believed and that the marriage wasn't a happy one. I was surprised to learn the truth about her death. I did NOT see that coming. It was nice seeing Maxim finally admit his love, even I didn't think he really loved the second Mrs. de Winter. It was nice to see them open up to each other. I finally started to feel like they had a connection. This is a book I will most likely read many times. ...more

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Jan 13, 2009 Robin Cicchetti rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, historical-fiction, mystery

It was wonderful to return to Manderley. First read as a teenager, it was well worth re-reading. Maxim, who once seemed to glamorous and romantic reads differently now. High maintenance and non-communicative seem more appropriate descriptions now. Mrs. Danvers was even more sinister than I remember. The flowers and morning room more inviting than ever.

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Jun 03, 2009 Danielle rated it liked it

Shelves: the-pageturners

I saw the movie version of this book many years ago. It was an Alfred Hitchcock film. The ending was slightly different from the book but seeing the movie first didn't deter my enjoyment of the book at all. In fact I was reminded the entire time about how much I really enjoyed it which made me enjoy the book all the more. ...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Lori rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ffbg-2017-18

A book where 'what's in a name?' has so much meaning: The book is named for Rebecca, a character we never meet. It's told to us by our heroine who for some reason remains nameless. And shivers run down my spine at the mention of Mrs. Danvers. ...more

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