ravenpuff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Classism, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying
Minor: Racism, Suicide, Cancer, Gun violence, and Infidelity
quabbityash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Ableism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Murder, Domestic abuse, and Death
denlia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Classism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Ableism, Racism, and Toxic friendship
froukjemelenhorst's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide and Domestic abuse
Minor: Cancer
reading_under_covers's review against another edition
4.5
The fact that the MC is never given a name really added to the story and the ending had me š¤Æ šĀ
Note: There were a couple of problematic scenes, which I guess at the time wouldnāt have come across that way, but were cringe and uncomfortable to read in the modern day.
Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Infidelity
Minor: Incest
e_r_q's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"I feel her everywhere. You do too, don't you?"
Rebecca is a captivating, mysterious and dark gothic romance. In many ways, it is also a highly unconventional ghost story. Despite being a slow-burn, it is undeniably an incredibly engrossing novel; I just can't get it out of my head.
It is consistently unpredictable, and the various twists and turns it took genuinely managed to shock me. Everything builds to an unforgettably tense climax.
I absolutely loved Daphne du Maurier's masterful characterisation. The unamed protagonist is probably one of my favourite narrators of all time; I really liked her uncertainty and insecurity, and I loved how she constantly drifted into elaborate day-dreams. I also really liked how every character, to an extent, is extremely unreliable, lending a degree of ambiguity to the events of the novel.
I am also in love with du Maurier's gorgeously gothic and strikingly atmospheric writing; she manages to make the setting of Manderley feel like a character in itself.
Unfortunately, it is very much a product of its time, with some dated and abhorrent racist and abelist moments.
But overall, Rebecca is an iconic tale of obsession, love, gender, trust, power and the haunting force of the past. There's a reason it's a classic.
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Racism and Sexism
rhi_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Frequently undersold as a āgothic romanceā, du Maurierās āRebeccaā is a masterclass in character work, suspense, and atmosphere. The titular character never appears or speaks a word throughout the novel but is so incredibly well written through the accounts of all the supporting characters that she stands out more than any of them.Ā
The contrast of the headstrong and fiery Rebecca with the diminutive and awkward nameless narrator is one of the highlights of the book and a sharp take on the classic Madonna-Whore complex. Du Maurier manipulates her readers until the very end in to sympathising and hating the characters she wants us to despite their actions and motives,Ā and asking us to consider what these feelings say about our own morality - after all, the truth doesnāt mean anything against a well crafted story.Ā
Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Death, Suicide, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Racism
maeverose's review against another edition
3.75
ā āYes,ā I said. ās
I hate Maxim. Of course this book isnāt a romance novel, and it was written over 80 years ago so the misogyny is not at all unexpected, but being as they remain a couple by the end itās irritating to me. Heās so patronizing and misogynistic towards Narrator from the beginning and it only gets worse later on. Frank had much better chemistry with Narrator, I didnāt feel like Maxim actually liked her at all, we hardly even saw them together. And the fact that he was so much older than her but also liked that she was young and innocent grossed me out.
On a less critical note (though still negative because itās depressing), I was surprised how much I related to Narrator with her social difficulties. I think the intention was that she was young and wasnāt used to all the social obligations of being a more well known person, but to me it read very similar to social anxiety or maybe even autism/adhd. She also had pretty intense insecurities and didnāt think very highly of herself (rejection sensitivity?), which honestly made me a bit sad while reading because I related to so much of it.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Ableism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Dementia, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Pedophilia, Racism, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Fire/Fire injury, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content
Ageism. Minor spoilers related to the pedophilia and suicidal thoughts:Spoiler
Mrs Danvers is queer coded in her feelings towards Rebecca but itās stated that Mrs Danvers cared for her since Rebecca was a child. They also mention men being attracted to Rebecca when she was a child. Mrs Danvers suicide baits narrator and Narrator almost follows through. Youāre in Narratorās head in that moment.rachelp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Ableism, and Cultural appropriation
lunxchloe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have seldomly read a book this captivating. The start is really slow and I kept thinking to myself "why is nothing happening but I cannot stop reading?". The main character's stream of consciousness writing made the experience immersive. In some ways, I could sympathize with her naivite and her struggles to try and fit into this world that clearly has no place for her. But it's this exact writing that evokes this feeling of wanting to know what's going on. You share her feeling that things seem off, she doesn't fit it, but you're never quite able to grasp the WHY of that, because neither does she - until you're already two thirds finished.
You definitely have to keep in mind the time where this was written to put some statements into perspective.
This novel had me speechless and gasping multiple times. I definitely plan on rereading this sometime. I feel like the narrator's way of portraying what is happening around her is a clever way to cover the many layers and nuances of the actual story. I am excited to uncover even more once I can look beyond that. A strong recommendation for anyone that loves mystery and gothic atmosphere.
5/5*
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder and Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Cancer