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Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier,

Sally Beauman (Afterword)

Start date: December 1, 2020

Finish date: December 31, 2020

Why we're reading this: Revisit the Shelf, December 2020

Revisit the Shelf Reread, May 2015

Contemporary Classic Group Read, Januar…more
[close] Revisit the Shelf, December 2020

Revisit the Shelf Reread, May 2015

Contemporary Classic Group Read, January 2012

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What Members Thought

Oct 06, 2013 Ellie 9218 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I had never heard of this book. An embarrassing confession coming from someone who likes to read Classic books as much as I do. I am so thankful to have discovered this true, timeless classic through an October Book Club Selection. Published in 1938 and winner of the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century. This is by far the best book I have read this year.

This story is told from the perspective of the second Mrs. de Winter (whose first name we never know). She is a young woman who goes fro I had never heard of this book. An embarrassing confession coming from someone who likes to read Classic books as much as I do. I am so thankful to have discovered this true, timeless classic through an October Book Club Selection. Published in 1938 and winner of the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century. This is by far the best book I have read this year.

This story is told from the perspective of the second Mrs. de Winter (whose first name we never know). She is a young woman who goes from being a paid companion for a rude, wealthy American woman vacationing in Europe, to becoming the wife of Maximilian de Winter, an older, wealthy man whose first wife, Rebecca, died the previous year. He takes his new wife back to his estate, Manderley, on the coast of Cornwall, England. Although the beautiful, talented Rebecca is dead, she is not forgotten. Her presence fills the pages and she becomes a major character. Mrs. Danvers, the cruel and evil former personal assistant to Rebecca, makes it clear to Mrs. de Winter that her loyalty was to Rebecca. She lurks in the shadows, always watching, always listening, always there to ensure that the second Mrs. De Winter never feels comfortable in her role as lady of the house. There is a part where Mrs. Danvers insists on showing Mrs. De Winter Rebecca’s bedroom. It literally gave me goosebumps. I think she is possibly one of the best literary villians ever. Mrs. Danvers, along with other townspeople, dwell on Rebecca as if she were still alive. Rebecca is ever present, despite that fact that she’s dead.

I thought the decision to not name the second Mrs. De Winter was so smart. It made the character appear to be a lesser person than Rebecca.

This book had it all for me- a wonderful setting, a suspenseful and well executed plot, interesting/developed characters, romance, and a very unexpected ending. I loved that almost every chapter ended with a cliffhanger. But most of all, I loved the writing style. From the opening line of 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again', I was simply absorbed in. The story is told almost poetically, and it captured my attention from the start. It was hardly like reading a book, but more like watching a film. The way she wrote, everything I read, I could picture. I could see Manderly in my head perfectly.

I heard that Alfred Hitchcock made Rebecca into a movie, which I would love to see. This book was made for Hitchcock.

Absolutely L.O.V.E.D. it
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Jan 03, 2015 Crystal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I had been wanting to read Rebecca for months now, but it had been put off in favor of other books. I decided I must do it this month and chose to listen to an audio version because I have several demands on my attention at the present and can't find the time to sit with a book.

I was immediately enveloped by the story. There was intrigue and mystery from the first, and, unlike many classics, this one didn't start slowly, requiring the reader to warm to it. Furthermore, it kept me involved and in ...more

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May 01, 2011 Stacy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic, 1001-books, 52-books-around-the-year-2020, 2020

Reread. 2020 - 5 stars again. Just as I remembered it. The first time I read it was in high school so I thought I would forget some things. Funny how some books stick with you.

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