Rebecca

by Daphne duMaurier

Rebecca

published	January 30th 2003 by Virago Press Ltd
first published	1938
binding	Paperback
isbn	1844080382 (isbn13: 9781844080380)
ebook
pages	448
description	<h3 align="center">"Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Manderley Again." </h3><p align="left">So the s...more [close] <h3 align="center">"Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Manderley Again." </h3><p align="left">So the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter remembered the chilling events that led her down the turning drive past ther beeches, white and naked, to the isolated gray stone manse on the windswept Cornish coast. With a husband she barely knew, the young bride arrived at this immense estate, only to be inexorably drawn into the life of the first Mrs. de Winter, the beautiful Rebecca, dead but never forgotten...her suite of rooms never touched, her clothes ready to be worn, her servant -- the sinister Mrs. Danvers -- still loyal. And as an eerie presentiment of evil tightened around her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter began her search for the real fate of Rebecca...for the secrets of Manderley. [close]
date added	12-18-06 edit book

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Arlene Sanders

Arlene rated it:

(review of isbn 0380730405)

05/29/08

bookshelves: book-reviews

REBECCA is my favorite book of all time -- bar none.

The opening line is famous, but I didn’t know that the first time I read it (I was about 14). I just remember that the magic began with that first line:

Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderly again. . . .

The girl is young, clumsy, exquisitely sensitive. An impoverished relative of a wealthy and boorish social climber, Mrs. Van Hopper, she makes her living as the older woman's companion.

Maxim de Winter, handsom...more

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Libby

Libby rated it:

(review of isbn 0380730405)

07/10/08

bookshelves: 2008-misses, mysteriousness

Read in June, 2008

Rebecca has been floating around in my consciousness for a long time, almost as if I'd already read it, years ago and with only a distant memory of its pages. But, I hadn't ever read it, despite my ability to quote its famous first line or my unexplainable knowledge of its Bronte-esque plot. Would that I had read it long ago, say in the seventh or eighth grade, when I was 13. I know that it's the kind of novel I would have loved then, and that it would have stayed with me all these years....more Rebecca has been floating around in my consciousness for a long time, almost as if I'd already read it, years ago and with only a distant memory of its pages. But, I hadn't ever read it, despite my ability to quote its famous first line or my unexplainable knowledge of its Bronte-esque plot. Would that I had read it long ago, say in the seventh or eighth grade, when I was 13. I know that it's the kind of novel I would have loved then, and that it would have stayed with me all these years. Unlike Jane Eyre, however, I'm not sure it would have held up to repeated readings.

I thought this would be the perfect novel to bring on our trip to Italy, for what could be a better read on lazy days in an old stone farmhouse than this slightly gothic, neurotic tale of obsession and memory? And I was tickled when, in Siena, I saw a woman lying on the campo reading Rebecca. In the end, although I found the book very interesting from a sort of writerly/intellectual perspective (sorry!), I was disappointed in it overall as a piece of literature.

I think what I found most interesting about the novel is how great swathes of it are preoccupied not with anything that's actually happening, but with the narrator's imaginings of what might or what could happen. Du Maurier constantly undermines the unfolding action to dally in the realm of anxiety and cerebration, which is perfect for a book that fixes on a character--Rebecca--who is dead and absent when the novel starts.

Fittingly, it's not just Rebecca who is absent, our unnamed narrator is also, in a sense, an absent center. She remains unnamed throughout, and we know far more about Rebecca's history by book's close than we do about hers. It's really fascinating and intriguing how the book echoes and doubles and enacts the idea of obsession by having a living person be the shadow (and let us remember that ghosts are often called 'shades') of a dead person, a present character be absent and an absent character be present. I mean, the book is called "Rebecca" after all, not "Manderley" or "Mrs. De Winter" or what have you.

The novel is very opaque; it is willing to let you know only so much, which I liked, actually. The novel begins far in the future of the events it narrates, with our narrator looking back, and so there is a strange passivity about the whole thing--clearly the main characters escape the clutches of the plot relatively unscathed, so again, the book redirects the reader's attention from more traditional concerns about what happens to the murkier realms of atmosphere and ideation. In fact, the biggest surprise is Manderley's destruction at novel's end, which is far more painful than I would have expected, and perfect for a novel that in many ways deals in memory and imagination: Mr. and Mrs. De Winter can never go home again.

Anyhoo, like I said, I found all of this interesting intellectually, but I found the book itself to be rather tedious and awkward. The pacing is bulky and skewed nonsensically, the characterizations flat and slight, and the revelations are fairly broadcast from the beginning. Also, the two main characters, our mousy narrator, and the bland, Ashley Oakes sweatin' Mr. De Winter, are insufferable. Even after Rebecca's evil nature has been unmasked, you can't help but root for her and her sociopathic machinations....less

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Rebekah

Rebekah rated it:

08/26/08

bookshelves: library-books

Read in August, 2008

I saw this book in the store and was interested to read it. Then Amy told me she read and like it so then I really had to make it my next read. But I struggled in the first few chapters because I felt like my copy had some pages missing or something and the language was different from the last book that I just read, so I just kept reading the first two chapters to try and figure out what was going on.

It is very weird to me that the girl telling the story is NOT Rebecca. But now I am abou...more I saw this book in the store and was interested to read it. Then Amy told me she read and like it so then I really had to make it my next read. But I struggled in the first few chapters because I felt like my copy had some pages missing or something and the language was different from the last book that I just read, so I just kept reading the first two chapters to try and figure out what was going on.

It is very weird to me that the girl telling the story is NOT Rebecca. But now I am about half way through the book and I am really enjoying it. The new Mrs. de Winter is so innocent and romantical. She is simple and easy to care about. I can't wait to get home and read everyday to find out what is happening at Manderley.

So far the story is about a girl that was the companion of a woman - she is paid to be at the woman's beck-n-call. Then while staying in Monte Carlo she meets Maxim de Winter and to her advantage her companion (Mrs. Van Hopper) falls ill and the girl is left to explore by herself. Maxim befriends her and she is intrigued by him. He is older and a bit mysterious. By the time Mrs. Van Hopper is well she is ready to leave Monte Carlo, Maxim is surprised and suddenly asks the young girl to marry him and she accepts. After they honeymoon for a few weeks in Italy he takes her back to his estate, Manderley. Mrs. de Winter is overwhelmed by the house and the grounds and the servants and the guests and she is struggling to adjust to a style of life that she was not raised in, not to mention that Maxim's first wife died suddenly just a year prior. The death surprised him and sent him spiraling into depression. His new young wife has lifted him out of depression but she feels that sometimes he is still distant and assumes that he is remembering his dead wife. On top of this she feels that the servants are still faithful to the first Mrs. de Winter. She prefers to explore alone and she is interested in having a ball at Manderley like she has heard talked about. But as the day of the first ball arrives she is taken aback by an unexpected turn of events. And that is where I am waiting to catch up on today.

Now that the book is finished I have a clear picture of the way the story unfolds. So the ball does not turn out how Mrs. de Winter imagines and after that disaster there is a discovery that sends a whole new episode of drama to her life. And she finds that after the revelation, that her relationship with Maxim is much better and closer. And they are able to rely on each other throughout all the drama that they have to face.

It is an excellent book with an abrupt ending that will keep you wanting more.

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Sajitha

Sajitha rated it:

04/29/08

bookshelves: have-read

Read in August, 2004

Rebecca is one of the best books written by Daphne du Maurier. Daphne uses a narrator to tell her stories--- in the first person. I don’t like reading such books, and actually kept away the book after glancing through it. But my friend insisted that I try it out and I trust her opinions and suggestions specially, regarding books and movies. I found that Daphne’s writing gets you hooked. You pick up one of her books to read and you can keep it down only after finishing reading it! Du Maurier ...more Rebecca is one of the best books written by Daphne du Maurier. Daphne uses a narrator to tell her stories--- in the first person. I don’t like reading such books, and actually kept away the book after glancing through it. But my friend insisted that I try it out and I trust her opinions and suggestions specially, regarding books and movies. I found that Daphne’s writing gets you hooked. You pick up one of her books to read and you can keep it down only after finishing reading it! Du Maurier weaves a beautiful web of mystery that holds you captive until the very end and that’s the kind of book I prefer to read when I don’t have time in hand!

Rebecca is a beautiful, haunting, gripping tale of love, hate and deceit. As you read it, you will feel the anxiety, apprehension and fear that the narrator describes and you get so involved with the feeling that you move through each chapter with an anxiety that only ends with the end of the novel. Daphne narrates all these feelings in the most simple but the most justified manner. Rebecca begins with the description of Manderly, a beautiful old mansion, with its menacing woods and rising turrets. It is characterized by the long winding drive. Manderly is the scene where the tale unfolds. The narrator is Max De Winter’s young and shy second wife.

The main characters of the story are Max De Winter (master of Manderly), Rebecca (De Winter’s late wife), De Winter’s second wife (who in now Manderly’s new mistress), Mrs. Danvers (the maid). Mrs. Danvers, the maid keeps the memory of Rebecca alive by constantly referring to her in her conversations and making comparisons. She constantly reminds everyone that Rebecca is still the mistress of Manderly and is still the queen of Max’s heart. She preserves Rebecca’s room just as it was the night before her drowning accident.

Rebecca’s shadow looms large over the young bride. Rebecca’s little sailing boat is found with a skeleton lying on the cabin floor. Doubts begin to rise and that raised many question, whos is it? Was someone else with Rebecca when she died? Who was that? Was that a man or a woman? Then the shocking revelation and the truth about Rebecca, her death and what really happened that night, eight months ago comes out into the open.

To reveal more would be destroying the magic and charm of reading this book. So read on and enjoy the magic of Rebecca created by Daphne.
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Katie

Katie rated it:

03/21/08

Read in June, 2006

I’m notorious for burning through exciting novels. I just can’t help it - I’m a fast reader and also a sucker for a good story. So once I have that itch to find out what happens next, it’s way to late for BN to remind me how I should be savoring the experience.

Rebecca was recommended to me by my mom as a great story with an exciting plot twist in it. Yep, she was right. (This isn’t going to be a very good book review, because I can’t tell you a thing about it. I’d hate to spoil...more I’m notorious for burning through exciting novels. I just can’t help it - I’m a fast reader and also a sucker for a good story. So once I have that itch to find out what happens next, it’s way to late for BN to remind me how I should be savoring the experience.

Rebecca was recommended to me by my mom as a great story with an exciting plot twist in it. Yep, she was right. (This isn’t going to be a very good book review, because I can’t tell you a thing about it. I’d hate to spoil the surprises for you.)

The story is told in the first person, by a young woman (whose name is not Rebecca) who lets us in on all her inner thoughts. She is very observant and perceptive, and I enjoyed reading her descriptions of people, her soul searching, and “deep thoughts” about memory, destiny, and “living in the moment.” Well, you might wonder, if Rebecca isn’t the main character, who is she? Well, I won’t say who but what: mysterious, beautiful, tragic, menacing…

I sometimes weigh the success of a work of art (images, writing, music…) by how well it makes me feel, see, or learn what the protagonists are feeling, seeing, or learning (whether that’s the main character or the author.) In this book, the narrator tells us what she’s feeling of course, but deeper than that, all the descriptions and dialog really pull the reader in and make you experience things along with her. I like that.

The book is set in the early 20th century, the late teens or early twenties. They have cars and telephones, but it’s still a different world, a good balance between recent and distant history. I enjoyed reading about the lifestyles of the rich and famous - spending summers in Monte Carlo and returning to their vast estates in rural England with a different room for each hour of the day, servants who have been with the family for generations, and masquerade balls for 500 guests. A good contrast to this opulence is our heroine, who is as new to the wealthy lifestyle as I would be and seeing it through her eyes is an enjoyable and entertaining experience. And, though my lips are sealed on the details, the storyline is intriguing, suspenseful and hauntingly memorable. Read it soon and let me know what you think! ...less

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Ally

Ally rated it:

08/12/08

Read in August, 2008

Ah, Daphne du Maurier: the queen of the 1930s gothic novel. This was my second time reading this book, and it was every bit as deliciously purple and dramatic as the first time around. Set in Cornwall, England in an expansive country manor dubbed Manderley, Rebecca is told by a nameless first, person narrator, who leaves her means of employment as a paid companion to marry the eccentric and recently widowed Max de Winter, the owner of Manderley. While there, the narrator discovers still visible ...more Ah, Daphne du Maurier: the queen of the 1930s gothic novel. This was my second time reading this book, and it was every bit as deliciously purple and dramatic as the first time around. Set in Cornwall, England in an expansive country manor dubbed Manderley, Rebecca is told by a nameless first, person narrator, who leaves her means of employment as a paid companion to marry the eccentric and recently widowed Max de Winter, the owner of Manderley. While there, the narrator discovers still visible traces of the former Mrs. de Winter, and in rather Ms.-Havisham-like fashion, du Maurier has the narrator encounter monogrammed tokens of the former wife: her rain coat and stationary, her pillow and linen. In the end, the narrator discovers the truth about what really happened to the former Mrs. de Winter, and must weather through great travesty.

What is most impressive about this gothic work is that while the gothic elements are physically evident throughout Manderly, the ramifications of those elements are amplified to magical proportions within the mind of the narrator. In this way, SHE becomes the vehicle of much of the gothic churnings in this novel, with the exception of Mrs. Danvers, Mrs. de Winter's former maid, who truly is deliciously wicked and one of the greatest villains in all of literature.

Also of note is the clever way all of the characters seem to project their deepest needs onto Manderley, as though Manderley were an abused lover: Mr. de Winter needs the estate to uphold his reputation and pride and legacy; Mrs. Danvers needs Manderley to hold onto the spirit of her beloved Mrs. de Winter; the nameless narrator begins to need Manderley to win over Rebecca, and the heart of her eccentric and removed husband.

Rebecca is a classic novel, one of the finest to emerge from the early 20th century, and I'd recommend it to any reader who has a great appreciation of gothic literature, as well as to teachers who are looking to teach a course in gothicism--it would pair nicely with the Castle of Otranto, The Haunting, The Shining, and even Jennifer Egan's modern novel The Keep.

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Jessica

Jessica rated it:

04/19/08

Read in April, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Warning - this review reveals plot details!

First things first - the copy that I ordered from Amazon has the look of one of those cheap $6 books you can get at the grocery store. It was only $7.99, and the front cover of the book is picture of red silk with the name, "Rebecca" in gold scripted font, so I guess it is one of those inexpensive grocery store books. I was all set for a good smut novel, as it totally had the look...I was having flashbacks to VC Andrews!

In terms of...more Warning - this review reveals plot details!

First things first - the copy that I ordered from Amazon has the look of one of those cheap $6 books you can get at the grocery store. It was only $7.99, and the front cover of the book is picture of red silk with the name, "Rebecca" in gold scripted font, so I guess it is one of those inexpensive grocery store books. I was all set for a good smut novel, as it totally had the look...I was having flashbacks to VC Andrews!

In terms of the actual book, I read in about 3 days. I found the main character to be pretty annoying, she is SO INSECURE. There were quite a few times I found myself skimming through her mindless narrative of thinking to herself.

What I did find interesting (plot spoiler coming) was when the story revealed how her husband truly felt about his deceased wife. This new information totally changed the main character's opinion of her role in her husband's life and their household. That was pretty fascinating, and such a good example of how we, meaning people, can limit ourselves by our perception of how people feel about us, and how we **think** we fit in the world.

The whole deal with the white dress at the ball was incredibly predictable, I'm sure everyone who read this book saw that coming as soon as Mrs. Davners made the suggestion. There were a few more twists and turns after the ball, and I'm sure that the author's intent was to shock and throw the reader for a loop. Unfortunately, it did not have that kind of impact on me.

Despite this overall ho-hum review, I did read the book pretty quickly, and it was nice that it wasn't a book that had so much detail that would require a lot of concentration.

Would I recommend it to other? Um, no. Would I re-read it down the road? Um, no. Will I throw away the book? No, I only do that with books I absolutely hate (see my review for "The Lovely Bones"). My copy of "Rebecca" is headed for the Goodwill bag...I don't think Powell's will want it.
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Beth

Beth rated it:

(review of isbn 0380778556)

02/15/08

Read in February, 2008

Apparently this book is famous. The cover of my particular edition brags that it’s “the unsurpassed modern masterpiece of romantic suspense; … one of the bestselling novels of all time” and it’s even been made into a Hitchcock film that it seems everyone’s seen but me. I, however, was unfamiliar with the story. After reading through the first couple chapters, I was hooked on this book. I’d curl up under the covers and read a few pages before bedtime, all the while composing phra...more

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Madeline

Madeline rated it:

09/09/07

bookshelves: the-list

"I dreamt I went to Manderley again."
Rebecca is the story of a young woman (her first name is never given) who marries wealthy Maxim de Winter, mostly to escape her life as a companion to a rich American woman. She moves with her new husband to his estate, Manderly, where she learns about her husband's previous wife, Rebecca. Although Rebecca drowned in the ocean near the house over a year ago, the house is still full of her prescence. Her old room is cleaned daily, and is lef...more

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Danielle

Danielle rated it:

01/23/08

bookshelves: danielle-recommends, fiction, my-favorites

Read in May, 2007

Beautifully told with unexpected turns that kept me guessing til the very end. I started listening to it on tape, but wasn't following it really well (the first chapter or two leave you wondering what the heck is going on) then started again later with the book and liked that better.
At first I wondered why du Maurier had chosen to start the book at the end of the story, but after I finished it, I really liked the way it had been told. It made the "beginning" of the story so much mor...more

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Chelsey

Chelsey rated it:

11/27/07

recommends it for: everyone

Rebecca starts off like a fairy tale. Once upon a time, this young girl (the narrator to whom is never named)meets her prince charming, Maxim de Winter. The narrator not only falls in love with this wonderful man, but also falls for his beautiful manor, Mandelay, which becomes her manor as soon as he proposed. After the marraige, the narrator returns to her new home with her new husband and has to battle the many people who were in love with the previous Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, who tragically a...more

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Wayne

Wayne rated it:

09/03/08

Daphne du Maurier's REBECCA must be one of the great classic novels, combining mystery, romance and an almost tangible ghostly presence.
Like PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and JANE EYRE it bears a superficial resemblance to the Mills and Boon genre but has the advantages of superior plot, artistic integrity, insights into human nature, characterisation, a definite writing style, originality and whatever else goes into creating a superior work of art. (Ouch!)
REBECCA could be called the film noi...more

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Jamie

Jamie rated it:

06/07/08

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Jamie by: Smegoria Glazier
recommends it for: those interested in a fun summer read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Several friends kept pushing "Rebecca" at me and I finally took the time to breeze through it. It's a lovely summer novel--very quick read, and nice to have while you're laying in the sun or enjoying an evening cigarette. But I'm still unsure why so many people seem to think of it as particularly out-of-the-box in its representation of the suspense/romance genre. While I thought it was really well-written with a great storyline and well-developed characters, it's not really the sort...more

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Slygly

Slygly rated it:

09/01/08

Read in August, 2008

I confess that I was denied the pleasure of reading Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier for years and years because I thought that I had already read it. I had heard the book described as a dark and suspenseful classic, which made me confused and scornful because I didn't find it to match that description at all. But I thought that maybe my memory of the book was foggy. It was a long, long time ago that I read Rebecca. Then I realized! I had never read Rebecca! I had read Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm! (R...more

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Tom

Tom rated it:

09/23/07

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: Jane Eyre fans, lovers of gothic romance

It turns out that Du Maurier's Rebecca, a hugely popular English suspense novel from 1938, is another descendant of Jane Eyre, which I read early this summer, followed by Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys' imagining of the life of Mr. Rochester's mad first wife.

I knew Rebecca chiefly from the 1940 Hitchcock film but didn't recognize all the Brontë overtones: the...more

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Jennifer

Jennifer rated it:

08/28/08

This book was interesting for a lot of reasons. The book is named Rebecca and you would think that's who the book is about, but it isn't really. The person who the book is mostly about remains unnamed throughout all the pages and I didn't even realize it until I was done. I felt like I knew the main character so well, but she remains nameless. What a sneaky author. There are also a few plot twists. I didn't see where it was headed and I found myself wondering what I would do in her shoes if I we...more

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Book Dork

Book Dork rated it:

(review of isbn 0000000000)

08/22/08

bookshelves: novels

Read in August, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Chris

Chris rated it:

08/25/07