Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

156 reviews

amzthebookdevourer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.25

I found the first half of the book to be excruciatingly slow at points, with excessive detail. However, I'm so glad I stuck with it as the second half was phenomenal! Secrets were revealed, tension was masterfully built, and the twists and turns were so unexpected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer and Gun violence

Minor: Ableism, Incest, Infertility, Suicide, Dementia, and Cultural appropriation

gvstyris's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth. 

Very unsure about how to rate this book. Rebecca has been on my mental TBR for years, primarily because of its enduring influence on other media I love (Gone Girl, even various Taylor Swift songs hahah), so my expectations were probably unfairly high. 

And, in many ways, they were met. I loved the Gothic setting and eerie tone, as well as the slow build of tension -- although I totally get where it'll bug other readers, given how long it takes to reach any action. Manderley is almost a character in-and-of-itself, which was super compelling, and du Maurier's prose really is gorgeous. I also really admired the shift in the narrator's voice throughout the novel as she lost her youthful naivety and grew into her role of 'Mrs de Winter.' 

Docking my rating over a couple things. I'm pretty unobservant and honestly really bad at guessing plot twists, but even I didn't find the main reveals in this novel particularly shocking or compelling. That's probably in part because Rebecca helped pioneer specific thriller tropes, and has influenced many more creative thrillers, but it still made for an underwhelming conclusion. I'm also not sure how I feel about the social commentary of the main reveals...

Maxim comes across a bit too favourably in the end, and Rebecca a bit cartoonish.

It definitely reminded me a bit of my misogynistic undertone qualms with Gone Girl.

I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first love. For it is a fever, and a burden, too, whatever the poets may say. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Incest and Classism

Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Suicide, and Terminal illness

emily_ford16's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Murder

Moderate: Cancer

graceheartsbooks's review against another edition

4.5

Rebecca is one of my mom’s favorite books and I finally got persuaded to read it. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to love it as it started out slow but as I kept going, I started to really enjoy it. At first it appears as a story about a woman being haunted by the shadow of her husband’s previous wife but underneath the surface this book is much more than that. It’s a book about abuse, power dynamics, gender roles, obsession and (in my opinion) how we speak about the dead. Also Daphne Du Maurier’s prose are beautiful and really makes you feel the tension and isolation of a scene/during the novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity and Suicide attempt

Minor: Cancer, Incest, and Infertility

kirstencholewa's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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

2.0

I struggled to get invested in this book and didn’t feel it picked up until around 60% of the way through. 

It may have been the audio format, but was difficult at times to know when the narrator was imagining scenarios or if it was actually happening. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy

zulmiro's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Dementia, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

bella_t_16's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Incest, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Cancer and Chronic illness

phoenyxashes19's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Murder

Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness

I have mixed feelings about this book. First of all, I really loved the writing and the way the story was told. It really encapsulated the mood. The characters were well written and the storyline too. There was suspense.

Why I said I have mixed feelings? Well, I really wanted to root for the main leads but they were kind of awful people. I get that your ex wife is a whore and says a lot of bad stuff… but to kill her? And on top of that when the new wife finds about it she isn't even terrified? She's just like “well now I get to have this man all to my self”.

But overall it was a refreshing read. I also recommend the audiobook narrated by *Classic Ghost Stories Podcast - Tony Walker* on youtube

m_a_j's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder

Moderate: Cancer and Infidelity