The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.0
"I suppose sooner or later in the life of everyone comes a moment of trial. We all of us have our particular devil who rides us and torments us, and we must give battle in the end."
WARNING: unpopular opinion ahead!!
I've been meaning to read Rebecca for years now, and after I saw one of my favorite books of 2023 The Hacienda being compared to this classic I decided to not wait any longer and finally pick it up. I had high hopes for this story, as I do love a good gothic thriller... But in the end I guess it wasn't ment to be. I know that the fact that I've been struggling with a reading slump might have been part of the problem, but I can't look past the fact that it took me eleven! days to finish reading a book that would usually only take me a day or two. I was warned of the slow start, and I definitely agree with that warning. I'm not sure if I would have continued reading if it hadn't known about the slow start, because the beginning is rather dull and tedious. Things do improve when the couple arrives at Manderley, and there are some clever twists and developments along the way. Sadly, I found the second Mrs. de Winter to be such a frustrating character to deal with though; having to spend so much time inside her head only made it more difficult to fight that slump and pick up my copy of Rebecca. The fact that she is basically a human doormat and lets everybody walk all over her became SO annoying, and she never fully redeemed herself for me. I did appreciate the descriptions of Manderley and the general gothic feel of the plot, but it wasn't enough to properly enjoy this story. I still might try a reread at some point to see just how big of a role the reading slump played when it comes to my reaction to this classic...Â
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Animal death, Violence, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
sadiaa's review against another edition
4.75
Minor: Dementia, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Terminal illness, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Death
poubelleboi'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Grief, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Fatphobia, Death, Ableism, Suicide, Murder, Mental illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Cancer and Infertility
pkc'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? No
4.5
Minor: Death, Incest, Infidelity, Infertility, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Fire/Fire injury
sarah_zaffiro'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
4.5
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness and Infidelity
Minor: Infertility, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Cancer
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Infidelity, Infertility, Cancer, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Misogyny, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Terminal illness
magellen's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Oh poor sweet HELLA adhd Mrs. DeWinter - it is so deeply amusing to read this book, with her being "embarrassed for them because they didn't have the sense to" and her intense rejection sensitivity disorder and all her wild conjectures and anxiety.
This is such a fantastic book in the gothic catalogue and a classic of twisty overlapping story. Its ableist and racist in places in line with shitty white moneyed people of the era.Â
Young wife, husband twice her age, giant estate and a malicious housekeeper. Lots of secrets. Lots of miscommunication haha
Graphic: Classism, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Grief, Bullying, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicide, Racism, Murder, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
neptunereign's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
rory_john14'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Gun violence, Classism, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Medical content, Mental illness, Incest, Alcoholism, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
sir_ren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
the gothic romance elements and the premise immediately reminded me of Jane Eyre, and this book seems to be in conversation with that one- exploring possibilities and different angles. so definitely try this one out if you have read Jane Eyre and enjoyed it and even if you didn't - it is interesting to observe how two authors treat this kinda situation in their books and in their age. so heightened emotion and drama are to be expected with gothic romances and some moments in Rebecca, especially towards the beginning feel straight out of a cheesy movie. but it is still a good read, I promise. even the rare instances of humour in the book do not feel dated - it did make me laugh. if you've enjoyed hearing about the dynamic in Taylor Swift's Tolerate it, you will likely enjoy reading about the relationship in Rebecca.Â
don't let the fact that this is a classic make you put off reading this book. since it is a more modern classic the writing style and story feel perfectly fine. the writing in this book... oh man, the author uses language beautifully and you can really feel the shift in writing from her regular prose to the parts where she enhances it for achieving a special effect on the reader. you will probably read them again and again.Â
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gun violence and Murder