Reviews with content warning for Murder - Rebecca

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

193 reviews

green_mm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Haunting. Enthralling. Hypnotizing. du Maurier pulls you in from the first scene, meticulously unwinding an illustrative story with the power to lure you further into the narrative of Mrs. de Winter and her cryptic circumstances. Although it features a slow start and rapid finish, the novel does not loosen its grip of the reader for a moment. It is easy to understand why this is such a widely renowned and often revisited classic. The single point of critique I felt for the plot was when, upon finding out that

Maxim killed Rebecca and never loved her, Mrs. de Winter feels only relief and fails to possess any sense of disapproval toward Maxim

for his actions. Regardless, this was easily a 5/5 read.

Content Warnings

raisinreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

yeah, I would not call it romantic, but I enjoyed it. These old write authors always hit you with the casual racism.

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grace_b_3's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

cassiealexandra's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

Somehow I missed this classic from the 1930s until now, and I’m so glad I picked it up. The cover of my copy says, “a classic tale of romantic suspense,” and I think that description is fitting. This had the feel of gothic horror but without any supernatural elements. I loved the sinister and severe character of Mrs. Danvers. I liked the way that we watch the narrator (who is never named) come into her own, going from a 21-year-old unable to speak her mind and stand up for herself, constantly feeling herself in the shadow of her new husband’s first wife, into a grown woman in a matter of days. Getting into her psyche and seeing her imagination get the best of her, playing out full conversations and paranoid scenarios was so interesting to me. The phantom, ghost-like presence of Rebecca, the narrator’s predecessor, was haunting as were the grounds, rooms, and items at Manderley. The descriptions of the gardens and ocean were so vivid, it was almost physically cloying at times. Everything had the shadow of Rebecca laced in it, and it was easy to see why the narrator could hardly help but compare herself. Oddly, this large age-gap romance was sweet at times, even though at first the narrator wonders if she serves more as a lap-dog to Maxim than wife. What I like most may have been the structure though because the opening chapters serve as an epilogue. The reverse storytelling made me want to pick the book right up again and reread.

The bottom line: This is the perfect blend of suspense, romance, and classic genres with a deep dive into a narrator’s head, gothic elements, whispers of a mysterious past, and a haunting and beautiful English estate setting.

— NOTES —
Genres: classic, gothic, suspense, romance
POV: 1st-person, singular
Content: death, toxic relationship, ɹǝɔuɐɔ ʻʇsǝɔuᴉ
Romance: kissing only

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)

Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 5

Total Stars: 4.5

Content Warnings

elizabeth_1111's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

meh697's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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savvylit's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Rebecca is considered a Gothic classic for good reason; it's focused on fear and malevolence and takes place on a sweeping estate. The most striking thing about this novel is the way it is structured around absence; Rebecca is never alive during the book's events and yet she is everything. After all, the title itself is Rebecca and our newlywed narrator remains unnamed for the entire novel. Furthermore, Mrs. Danvers is a perfect villain. Her loyalty to Rebecca, even in death, causes her to be spite personified.

Overall, Rebecca was a very enjoyable read and I am glad I (finally) read it. I can see the influence that du Maurier has had on modern Gothic literature, and I fully understand the love for this novel.

For those of you who've read it, I have one question: do you also kind of hate Maxim? I see him as a snobby misogynist who never really improved.

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sarah_hutchins's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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mone1313's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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