Rebecca (Virago modern classics)

This is a haunting tale, and as you would expect from du Maurier every aspect is conveyed fantastically through her rich, expressive writing style and vocabulary. No characters in a du Maurier novel are ever under-developed, and "Rebecca" boasts the most interesting set of characters I have ever seen in a novel. My favourites include the mysterious, somewhat frightening Mrs Danvers, who is undoubtedly the most stricken by Rebecca's death and remains obsessed with her a year after she was "drowned"; Maxim's sister Beatrice, who seems to be the only one who immediately takes to the new Mrs de Winter out of sympathy and sheer heart; and Frank Crawley, Maxim's agent, a quiet character who somehow reminds me of myself. Of course, there are then the marvellous creations of the two main characters, the most unlikely people ever to fall in love. Du Maurier injects me with a stab of pain every time she allows a character, paricularly Maxim, to refer to the new Mrs de Winter as a "child", and she emphasises her lowly status even more by not revealing her first name throughout the entire novel. Mrs de Winter, therefore, constantly finds herself under scrutiny and, like everyone around her at Manderley, becomes increasingly haunted by Rebecca. But this wonderful woman was not all she appears to have been...

As ever, du Maurier provides her reader with many twists and turns, none of which are escalated out of proportion to make the plot mindblowingly exciting and unbelievable, instead assisting in establishing "Rebecca" as a work of genius from one of the greatest authors ever to have lived. I cannot urge you more strongly to read this novel.


A classic   August 2, 2005
Tealady2000 (Edinburgh)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

This a cracking read - a real page-turner. I was hooked right from the start. The opening chapter is so atmospheric, and Daphne du Maurier expertly conjures up Manderley as a dark and dramatic backdrop for the events that unfold. There are numerous twists and turns in the plot and a wonderful cast of grotesque but believable characters. Rebecca herself casts a long shadow that reaches right to the very last sentence. When I finished the book I was not sure where my sympathies lay, but for me that was part of the enjoyment.

A word of warning - if you buy this edition DO NOT read the introductory section before reading the novel - it gives away too much of the plot.


A brilliant novel   March 14, 2003
Laura (St. Paul, MN)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

When I began this novel, I was struck by how boring and confusing the first chapter was. I had no idea how much the opening line, "Last night I drempt I went to Manderly again" would haunt me. Slowly, gradually, the book crept up in my esteem until I found myself gasping, screaming and sobbing by turns. I know this reaction may seem a little bit drastic, but the book gradually pulls the reader into a spellbinding web of mystery, intrigue and romance that keeps twisting the readers expectations. Once it reaches its climax, this novel amazingly manages to keep it up until the very end of the book.

Rebecca is the story of the young, innocent, and naive 2nd Mrs. DeWinter. The 1st Mrs. DeWinter was Rebecca, perfect, beloved, and well-remembered by all who knew her. Although Rebecca is dead the entire book, her ghost (figuratively, not literally) haunts our heroine as she tries to define the role of Mrs. DeWinter for herself. Everything she does is wrong because it is not the way Rebecca would have done it; she lives in a house where she is constantly compared to the beautiful, skilled, artistic, intelligent, and sociable Rebecca whose faults seem all to have been forgotten in death. The 2nd Mrs. DeWinter is shy, pretty, clumsy, and painfully naive in her behavior. She is not the picture perfect heroine, and she seems always to be measured against absolute perfection...

I really can't say much more without giving anything away. Trust me that what sounds like a simple and depressing story of a failure of a wife is actually romantic and quite thrilling. I hightly recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate suspense. Please, take this book home and give it a try-- and don't be discouraged by the slow start. It gets better-- I promise you.


Rebecca - it's great!   June 22, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I love Rebecca, and I strongly encourage all of you to read it if you haven't yet! Its a book that appeals to everyone, young and old, male and female. I read it in one day because I became so hooked, and I'm not one who reads at all often (stress on at all). It leaves so much to the imagination, it's full of mystery and suspense, without being scary. I'd also recommend other books by Daphne Du Maurier, I've read quite a few because I love her books so much, and I've enjoyed every single one of them.

Rebecca's a book you can read over and over again, but a little word of warning, I would read the book before seeing the black and white film because the film is very dated and can change your views of the characters very differently to how you imagine them when you read them.


Put your hands in the air, step AWAY from the introduction, and you won't get hurt.   March 7, 2007
Richard
24 out of 26 found this review helpful

The book itself is a classic and was recently promoted in the media as something people *must* read. Well, yes, read the book by all means, it is everything the glowing reviews say it is.

Bear in mind, however, that since this book was being touted as an introduction to good literature (whatever that is!) you might expect that many people who were new to the book would be expected to buy it. If you're someone who has never read the book previously - SKIP THE INTRODUCTION!

If Ms Beauman had any concern about new readers, she doesn't show this in the rather overblown introduction in which she gives away the story complete with the twist. It is arrogance itself to presume that "everybody has read the book" because it is "great literature" and therefore think it is fine to blather on about what made the book great (it certainly wasn't any introduction I ever read).

I'd read the book many years ago and bought it for my wife who'd never read it. Ms Bauman was personally responsible for reducing my wife's enjoyment of the book to merely an appreciation of the quality of the prose that followed.

Buy Daphne du Maurier's work by all means, just skip the pointless and counter-productive ego-trip that Ms Beauman begins the book with.