Heather's review
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Heather's review
rating:
recommended for: people who value plot twists over character development
status: Read in June, 2008
rating:
recommended for: people who value plot twists over character development
status: Read in June, 2008
The plot kept me fairly entertained. I actually am looking forward to seeing the movie (directed by Hitchcock) b/c I think it will translate well into film and potentially be better than the book.
Reasons I did not like it better:
-seemed like sort of a rip-off of Jane Eyre
-did not understand main character's reaction to major revelation of the book
-main character/narrator was annoying
-reasoning for the behavior of a crazed character was not fully explained (to my satisfaction, at least)
-book club pet peeve: female character(s) being portrayed as beautiful and perfect (also, not necessarily discussed in book club, but the similar flip side - female character(s) portrayed as devil/whore...most women are more nuanced than that!!!)
shout-out to Cassi: Do you still want to borrow it? ; )
And finally, a slightly amusing Rebecca-related anecdote: I read this b/c it was one of my mother's favorite books. I told her this weekend that I read it, and for that reason, and she to...more
Reasons I did not like it better:
-seemed like sort of a rip-off of Jane Eyre
-did not understand main character's reaction to major revelation of the book
-main character/narrator was annoying
-reasoning for the behavior of a crazed character was not fully explained (to my satisfaction, at least)
-book club pet peeve: female character(s) being portrayed as beautiful and perfect (also, not necessarily discussed in book club, but the similar flip side - female character(s) portrayed as devil/whore...most women are more nuanced than that!!!)
shout-out to Cassi: Do you still want to borrow it? ; )
And finally, a slightly amusing Rebecca-related anecdote: I read this b/c it was one of my mother's favorite books. I told her this weekend that I read it, and for that reason, and she to...more
Re: being a Jane Eyre rip-off - it is widely acknowledged as being a reworking of/homage to Jane Eyre. Du Maurier was heavily into the Brontes.'Intertextual' I think might be the literary term.
