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cooperkm's review against another edition
2.0
i made a mistake. whyd i do this? i only can blame myself. i thought it would be something different than it was. it was very predictable. the motivations weren't strong enough and neither was the world building. there was no mystery. Ah well.
jjen's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
larmstrong1924's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I could not have asked for a more beautifully written fall read
heddas_bookgems's review against another edition
5.0
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me.”
When a young and insecure woman is on holiday in Monte Carlo as a paid companion to the obnoxious Mrs. Hopper, she runs into the wealthy and known Mr. de Winter. He recently became a widower. Once they form a connection he suddenly asks her to marry him. But how will she ever manage to fill her roll as Mrs. de Winter to an estate as large and well known in high society as Manderlay.
If you ever are afraid to read classic novels, try reading this one. It has a gothic feel, has lovely descriptive prose and feels extremely timeless.
It’s eerie, dark and mysterious, but also deals with themes like jealousy, grief, loyalty, gender and to an extent sapphic love.
In the story we follow the narrator, who is such a young woman with low self esteem that we even can’t know her name. It’s more or less a coming of age novel. Du Maurier said once: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,”. And this is exactly what the novel Rebecca is a good representation of. But it also has a lot of mystery surrounding Manderlay. How did Rebecca die, why is Mrs. Danvers so against her and why does her husband keep her at a distance?
Somewhere around the end it even makes you question morale and how a murderer becomes a victim. All in all it’s a wonderful read that kept me captivated till the end. If you decide to read it I do recommend looking into TW’s.
When a young and insecure woman is on holiday in Monte Carlo as a paid companion to the obnoxious Mrs. Hopper, she runs into the wealthy and known Mr. de Winter. He recently became a widower. Once they form a connection he suddenly asks her to marry him. But how will she ever manage to fill her roll as Mrs. de Winter to an estate as large and well known in high society as Manderlay.
If you ever are afraid to read classic novels, try reading this one. It has a gothic feel, has lovely descriptive prose and feels extremely timeless.
It’s eerie, dark and mysterious, but also deals with themes like jealousy, grief, loyalty, gender and to an extent sapphic love.
In the story we follow the narrator, who is such a young woman with low self esteem that we even can’t know her name. It’s more or less a coming of age novel. Du Maurier said once: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,”. And this is exactly what the novel Rebecca is a good representation of. But it also has a lot of mystery surrounding Manderlay. How did Rebecca die, why is Mrs. Danvers so against her and why does her husband keep her at a distance?
Somewhere around the end it even makes you question morale and how a murderer becomes a victim. All in all it’s a wonderful read that kept me captivated till the end. If you decide to read it I do recommend looking into TW’s.
alhj's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
5.0
sarahhhh__canread's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a slow read because I was so anxious but after I got over that I was addicted it was intense and I was shocked. This book will keep you at the edge of your seat
bella613's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
schlegellikebagel's review against another edition
5.0
The artistry was lost on me when this was required reading!
pikusonali's review against another edition
5.0
Last night I dreamt I was 19 again. At 19 I had mastered the art of finding torrents to download movies, particularly old movies and bingeing on them every night. One of the first movies I had downloaded was Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. I had only heard about Hitchcock until then but once I tasted what was on offer, I was hooked. Psycho followed, then the TV series 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and finally I was able to lay my hands on Rebecca.
For someone like me, who grew up on a healthy diet of English Classics, I was surprised to learn that Rebecca was based on a novel by a certain Daphne du Maurier. Unfortunately, this was not a fact I learned when I watched the movie but a few years later when my choice of books became more cautious and refined. I had no idea of who du Maurier was. I had liked Rebecca because of Hitchcock but I was wary of trying out the book despite its many favourable reviews.
I only picked up the book a few days ago when my best friend expressed a desire to read it. He was equally surprised to know I had never read this cult classic. My best friend and I, we are pretty similar. It felt safe to try out reading Rebecca with him and I knew if we didn't enjoy the book, we could abandon it with little to no guilt. We have read books together before, we have watched movies and TV series together, and we have abandoned the stuff together if we didn't find it interesting. It's nice to have a partner-in-crime, someone who has similar tastes and does not think it is necessary to 'like' something only because half of the world celebrates its awesomeness.
I had come across the first sentence of the novel so many times but I had always failed to understand its significance. When I read the first chapter, which just describes a dream the narrator is having, it was still difficult to gauge Manderley's importance in the story. I had seen the movie only once, a long time ago. I remembered the basic outline of the plot but reading a book is very different from watching a movie. Reading requires intense concentration. It compels your imagination to conjure up things from words. You entirely rely on the author to drive your mind to breathe life into structures and people you read about. I had to find out more about Manderley.
The second chapter was not related to Manderley at all and by the time I finished it I wasn't any wiser. Things were a bit confusing. But, not even once, did I feel like abandoning the book at any juncture. du Maurier has a way with words and her rich prose was addictive. The third chapter set things in motion. Starting with the background of the narrator, the story then moved in a linear fashion introducing us to Maxim de Winter, the Lord of Manderley, his marriage proposal to a girl half his age (the narrator), slowly establishing the setting and introducing us to Rebecca, a character which never appears, a character which exists through her memories yet influences an entire course of events.
The book is gripping and moves at a perfect pace, not too fast, not too slow. The strength of the book is not only its setting but also in its characters. All of them are well-etched and developed. Even a character like Rebecca is personified flawlessly. She is dead but you don't miss her at all while reading the book. The story builds up to a stunning finale. You are on the edge of your seat while reading the last 4 chapters and the conclusion finally makes you see sense in the first two chapters. All pieces fall in place and you eventually accept du Maurier's brilliance in crafting a spell-binding story.
I don't regret reading Rebecca so late. It is never too late to discover something wonderful. I think I'll read it again even though I know all its secrets now. Perhaps, I'll read it for that exact reason.
For someone like me, who grew up on a healthy diet of English Classics, I was surprised to learn that Rebecca was based on a novel by a certain Daphne du Maurier. Unfortunately, this was not a fact I learned when I watched the movie but a few years later when my choice of books became more cautious and refined. I had no idea of who du Maurier was. I had liked Rebecca because of Hitchcock but I was wary of trying out the book despite its many favourable reviews.
I only picked up the book a few days ago when my best friend expressed a desire to read it. He was equally surprised to know I had never read this cult classic. My best friend and I, we are pretty similar. It felt safe to try out reading Rebecca with him and I knew if we didn't enjoy the book, we could abandon it with little to no guilt. We have read books together before, we have watched movies and TV series together, and we have abandoned the stuff together if we didn't find it interesting. It's nice to have a partner-in-crime, someone who has similar tastes and does not think it is necessary to 'like' something only because half of the world celebrates its awesomeness.
I had come across the first sentence of the novel so many times but I had always failed to understand its significance. When I read the first chapter, which just describes a dream the narrator is having, it was still difficult to gauge Manderley's importance in the story. I had seen the movie only once, a long time ago. I remembered the basic outline of the plot but reading a book is very different from watching a movie. Reading requires intense concentration. It compels your imagination to conjure up things from words. You entirely rely on the author to drive your mind to breathe life into structures and people you read about. I had to find out more about Manderley.
The second chapter was not related to Manderley at all and by the time I finished it I wasn't any wiser. Things were a bit confusing. But, not even once, did I feel like abandoning the book at any juncture. du Maurier has a way with words and her rich prose was addictive. The third chapter set things in motion. Starting with the background of the narrator, the story then moved in a linear fashion introducing us to Maxim de Winter, the Lord of Manderley, his marriage proposal to a girl half his age (the narrator), slowly establishing the setting and introducing us to Rebecca, a character which never appears, a character which exists through her memories yet influences an entire course of events.
The book is gripping and moves at a perfect pace, not too fast, not too slow. The strength of the book is not only its setting but also in its characters. All of them are well-etched and developed. Even a character like Rebecca is personified flawlessly. She is dead but you don't miss her at all while reading the book. The story builds up to a stunning finale. You are on the edge of your seat while reading the last 4 chapters and the conclusion finally makes you see sense in the first two chapters. All pieces fall in place and you eventually accept du Maurier's brilliance in crafting a spell-binding story.
I don't regret reading Rebecca so late. It is never too late to discover something wonderful. I think I'll read it again even though I know all its secrets now. Perhaps, I'll read it for that exact reason.