From the Bookshelf of The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club…

Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier

Start date: February 1, 2019

Finish date: March 31, 2019

Why we're reading this: Discussion Fun Day will be March 20th!

This book was chosen by our members as a good example of setting.
[close] Discussion Fun Day will be March 20th!

This book was chosen by our members as a good example of setting.

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Mar 21, 2019 Ronel Janse van Vuuren rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

I had been looking forward to reading this book – it had been on my TBR for ages and had come highly recommended.

The opening scene is dramatic, visually captivating and drew me into the story.

And then it fell flat with exposition about places that aren’t the place of her dream (and I assume the place where are the drama unfolds) and we get stuck in the past at Monte Carlo with characters from “Twilight”.

I got to the end of chapter five and decided that life is just too short.

When I’m too ill aga ...more

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Mar 20, 2019 Naughty rated it it was amazing

Technically, I didn't read this book. I listened to it.
It's a bit difficult to review this book without spoilers, but I will endeavor to do so.
I didn't expect to be as taken in by the story as I was. I thought it would be a romance, but it really was not. I read in Daphne du Maurier's biography on Wikipedia that she disliked being pigeonholed as a romance writer. She stated that her stories tended to be dark and rarely had happy endings. Romance stories may have dark moments but everything gene Technically, I didn't read this book. I listened to it.
It's a bit difficult to review this book without spoilers, but I will endeavor to do so.
I didn't expect to be as taken in by the story as I was. I thought it would be a romance, but it really was not. I read in Daphne du Maurier's biography on Wikipedia that she disliked being pigeonholed as a romance writer. She stated that her stories tended to be dark and rarely had happy endings. Romance stories may have dark moments but everything generally turns out right in the end.
It needs to be understood that this book was published more than 80 years ago and has some dated ideas about people with developmental disabilities and about sexual orientation which most modern people would find offensive.
From the description, the character Ben appears to have Down syndrome, and is referred to as an "idiot." At the time the book was written, terms like "idiot" and "moron" were medical terms. At one point, Mrs. Danvers states that Rebecca "hated all men," the implication being that she was a lesbian, which was considered a perversion at the point in time when the book was written. While these ideas are offensive to modern sensibilities, it is worthwhile to recognize them as a product of a less enlightened era and enjoy what the story as a whole has to offer.
I found myself enthralled with the tale from the very start. As a plain-looking woman in a society that places a lot of value on a certain type of female attractiveness, I identified with the narrator's insecurities. She became obsessed with what Rebecca represented while initially having very little knowledge of who or what Rebecca actually was.
This story offers up many surprises, including one that had me exclaiming "OH!" aloud as I was driving along listening. My eyes widened, and I put my hand over my mouth. I can only imagine what the drivers around me were thinking of my completely justifiable reaction. That reveal was a doozy!
In some ways, Rebecca challenges the reader to question whether any of our individual perceptions qualify as "reality." The characters often find themselves in the position of learning that beliefs which were an integral part of themselves are erroneous.
Other questions raised include whether or not wealth equates with happiness. Certainly, having adequate funds at one's disposal alleviate the stress of being unable to meet the basic needs such as shelter, nourishment, and clothing. However, many of the characters in Rebecca are wealthy, and none of them seem particularly happy.
Truth or the lack thereof is a recurring theme throughout the story. Is anyone ever able to be entirely honest about themselves, even with themselves? There are the lies that one tells the public in attempting to keep up appearances. There are the lies that one tells others, either to protect oneself or the other individual. Then there are the lies that one tells oneself.
Other than the ingenuous narrator, hardly any of the major characters are particularly likable. Maxim is a troubled, middle-aged widower who is often emotionally manipulative and who marries the narrator, a woman approximately half his age, after a very brief courtship. Mrs. Danvers is judgmental, jealous, and secretive. Frank is kind but a bit of a toady. Beatrice is well-intentioned but interfering, and there are upper-class twits aplenty.
There are moments when Rebecca is darkly humorous, and others when it is simply dark. If the reader is seeking a sweet, old-fashioned romance, this isn't it. However, if the reader is seeking a darkly intense tale that is full of surprises, including some which may make the reader exclaim aloud, this is the book you are looking for.

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Jan 01, 2019 Susan rated it really liked it

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Read this book several times. Each time with great pleasure. I loved the atmosphere and suspense. The one-sided POV of REBECCA is what keeps the mystery alive. Also saw the film several times with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. I recently read a fictional biography of Daphne de Maurier. Her time in her house on the river Dart. ...more

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May 21, 2019 Rebecca Reeder rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

I read this book a long time ago and enjoyed it. I was not prepared for the unexpected twist. The book is a classic mystery but does suffer somewhat from the inevitable passing of decades and changes in writing and ways of fleshing out the characters.

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Feb 26, 2023 Lisa Thomson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, borrowed-or-library-book

A dreamy, nightmarish love story. But is it really a love story? I asked myself this over and over. And I even considered that the current and unnamed Mrs. de Winter was the embodiment of the late Mrs. de Winter, impossible as that could be. It was wife number two's (the narrator) obsession with Rebecca that brings into question the blurred identities of the two extremely different women.
Also, the mysteries of the estate, Manderley, lend a stunning backdrop to this dark story. I have not seen t ...more

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