From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier

Start date: May 1, 2018

Finish date: May 31, 2018

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: May 2018 Completest Selection
[close] May 2018 Completest Selection

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What Members Thought

Apr 12, 2019 Tom rated it it was amazing

A beautifully written twentieth century gothic novel with loads of melodrama with a capital M between two polar opposite women, The first being the deceased first wife (Rebecca) who was basically a narcissistic sociopath who was depicted in the book living in the west wing with the constant sound of the tumultuous sea (power and strength) and the much younger submissive slightly masochistic second wife (no first name ever mentioned) who resided in the east wing overlooking the rose garden (innoc ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2019 Michelle marked it as to-read

1 like · Like

Feb 19, 2023 Matt rated it really liked it

Jan 24, 2020 Emma rated it really liked it

Apr 19, 2020 Audrey marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jun 22, 2020 Romila Jogdand rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

May 18, 2020 Pooja Jha marked it as to-read

Shelves: literary-fiction

Jan 21, 2021 MaryLucille rated it it was amazing

Feb 01, 2021 Julia Logvinenko marked it as to-read

Jul 04, 2021 Peter Adamson marked it as to-read

Oct 29, 2021 Kylie added it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-available

Jan 05, 2022 Brooke added it

Shelves: 2021

Feb 02, 2022 Gobert marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Mar 20, 2022 M.E.G marked it as to-read

Sep 16, 2025 Joy Liabres rated it it was amazing

Dec 01, 2023 Summer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: to-read-before-i-m-30

😯😯😯

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To Read Before I'm 30

This book was a wild ride!

The dual identity of the Mrs de Winter's was particularly fascinating. How they were the same person, but also they weren't. I can't believe we never found out her real name, which I think was demonstrating how much she would belittle herself compared to Rebecca, how she felt herself insignificant in comparison (I ended up nicknaming her Greta cause I needed a name, although all we were told was that she had an unusual/difficult to spell name! 😯😯😯

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To Read Before I'm 30

This book was a wild ride!

The dual identity of the Mrs de Winter's was particularly fascinating. How they were the same person, but also they weren't. I can't believe we never found out her real name, which I think was demonstrating how much she would belittle herself compared to Rebecca, how she felt herself insignificant in comparison (I ended up nicknaming her Greta cause I needed a name, although all we were told was that she had an unusual/difficult to spell name!). A lot of the story though was how her identity was shadowed by this woman. They bore the same name, they had the same house, the same husband, the same belongings, the same housekeeper... And that dual identity turning into a growing obsession was almost creepy, but understandable in a way. Especially with everyone telling our insecure heroine how amazing and beautiful Rebecca was, how accomplished she was, how well she fit into the world that our heroine really didn't feel like she did, making her obsessed with this woman she both hated and admired.

It was interesting how we found out the insecurity/obsession impacted her relationship aswell. She was so busy thinking that he was comparing her and she was coming across badly in comparison, that all it came across to him as was that she was being distant and pushing him away. Of course, then it turned out that what she was most insecure about, being unlike Rebecca, was actually what Max valued MOST in her.

I've got to say aswell, I called it with Rebecca!! (view spoiler)

I literally loved the start of the book, I thought it may be a new top favourite. And this was a Gothic romance, which I've recently found out is one of my favourite genres! It did just miss out on being a favourite/5-star for me though, and thats because of the niavety of the character. Now I have had a 5 star naive narrator before (Northanger Abbey), but Catherine's antics were amusing, and I must admit Greta managed to annoy me a few times. I don't enjoy reading plotlines that develop based on the MC's stupidity. It made the ball scene/chapter particularly irritating to me, because I knew clear as day that there was going to be something about that relation that was going to set Max off, and there were so many red flags or safety checks for Greta that she just outright ignored, and I got frustrated and started almost skim reading the chapter to get past that horrendous moment of second-hand embarrassment.

BUT. It took a swift rise after that short decline in enjoyment for me, because wowza, those final chapters just kept coming at you for shocks and turns, it was great! I really loved the fast-pace of the plot towards the end, and I love a court room drama/whodoneit/mystery, where the answer wasn't dragged out too long- such fun! I was having literal visceral reactions (and sat in public at the time so that was funny). I really didn't expect it to suddenly go the way it went.

And that ending... (view spoiler)

4.75 stars! ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2024 Mary marked it as to-read

Jun 26, 2025 Jennifer Morrell rated it really liked it

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