redheadorganist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Suicide, and Infidelity
Minor: Medical content and Animal cruelty
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
cady_sass'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? No
2.0
Did we all read the same book? It takes reading literally 70% of the book before anything interesting happens at all, and once it gets going it’s fully underwhelming. It’s soooooo long and for what purpose? Wikipedia managed to summarize the entirety of the major plot points in 7 paragraphs and, frankly, that’s more than enough. Just because something was written nearly 100 years ago with arguably beautiful prose does not make it inherently good or a classic. The writing is excellent and for that you get 2 stars, but let’s not glorify a novel that lacked proper editing and meandering plot for 300+ pages. Also, what is the purpose of never naming the main character? Let the woman have a name! Okay, rant over. Sorry not sorry
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Injury/injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
sennaje'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Murder
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
laurataylor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Infertility
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.
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
ambermarshall'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
4.75
It starts off slowly but so richly described that it drew me right in, and then in the second half it gripped me tightly and pulled me along. So much is revealed that casts earlier parts in a new light, and I found myself flipping back and forth and rereading earlier passages. The mystery and suspense were excellent, and romance took a back seat (it was all rather chaste as far as romance goes). It ends rather abruptly but I read a little more of the beginning again (which takes place after the events of the book) and it can act as a sort of epilogue as well as prologue, and you get a different reading from it after reading the entire novel.
Spoiler
I confess I had taken the "haunted by Rebecca" literally until I actually read the book and realized there was nothing supernatural going on and it was a metaphorical haunting, which honestly works so well and much better than a literal haunting would have. It just speaks to how huge a personality Rebecca was and how she managed to get so many people in her thrall with her sociopathic wiles to the point that she has so much power over everything even after her death, especially through Mrs. Danvers as her mortal agent.I do wonder if the beginning might serve better at the end, since it takes away a little bit of the suspense to know that MC and Maxim are away and safe after everything, though I did wonder if maybe they were on the lam.
Overall, I'm hugely impressed. A masterpiece indeed.
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Cancer, Infidelity, and Bullying
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