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Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
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6,367130260 (4.28)423

Member recommendations

  1. kraaivrouw recommends Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt
  2. ladybug74 recommends Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
  3. fannyprice recommends Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, "These two books reminded me a lot of each other but Rebecca was more modern and somewhat less preachy."
  4. chilirlw recommends The Great Impersonation by E. Phillips Oppenheim
  5. chrisharpe recommends Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
  6. chrisharpe recommends Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, "There are some similarities between these two books: a young woman marries an older widower and moves to his mansion, where the marriage is challenged (see more) by the unearthly presence of the first wife."
  7. citygirl recommends The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
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Showing 1-5 of 127 (next | show all)
So this is my, what? Thirtieth time reading Rebecca? It NEVER gets old. Oh gosh, Rebecca . Yes, five stars. I would give ten if that were an option, because Rebecca is brilliant. DuMaurier is a fine author anyway, but Rebecca is her magnum opus, her swan song, her...I don't know. Her descriptions are amazing: she uses thousands of words and never wastes one. Every single line adds a shade, a nuance, to that strangely lovely yet dreamlike/creepy atmosphere she weaves, until the non-entity narrator sinks into oblivion and dead Rebecca becomes more vividly alive than any other character. I always marvel, as I finish the book, how clearly I can SEE Rebecca; I know I would recognize her (and her handwriting!) if I ever saw her.

(BTW, my daughter just mentioned to me that she always reads Rebecca when she is coming down from Jane Eyre. I can hardly believe this, but I never noticed the similarities until she said that. But anyway: in terms of sheer literary art, Rebecca is the better book. But I still love Mr. Rochester infinitely more than chilly Max de Winter.) ( )
1 vote 2chances | Nov 1, 2009 |
An enjoyable romance that is filled with mystery and suspense. It will keep you reading and wanting to read into the wee hours of the morning. Full of twists and turns, it was a bit predictable, but had a few surprises along the way. I enjoyed it so much, I passed on the book to my daughter. ( )
  tweezle | Oct 22, 2009 |
Brief Review: An unforgettable read - truly unforgettable. It's wonderfully written, keeps you on the edge constantly, beautiful Gothic setting and plot, and the characters are so mysterious that you can't help but what to know more about them.

Great mystery, suspense, Gothic, horror, and romance literature. If you're interested in any or a combination of those then I would greatly recommend "Rebecca."
  s.kaosar | Oct 15, 2009 |
The best book ever. The first time I read it, I scared myself silly. This is an absolute must-read with the best characters in English literature. ( )
  Lottie411 | Oct 13, 2009 |
A fantastic novel. I don't know how I missed reading this one years ago, but I'm glad I picked it up when I did. It was exactly the kind of book I needed this week - well written, engaging, at times dark and mysterious and at others a look at how lost a "silly" young girl can be when out of her element. I'd seen bits and pieces of the BBC version on TV, so while I knew the premise of the story going into this, I didn't know the twist - and it was a good one! And who knew a housekeeper could be so terribly creepy?

Although the narrator was naive, needy, and sometimes not the sharpest tool in the shed, I found myself sympathizing with her. She's thrown into a world she knows nothing about, knowing that she will always be compared to her beloved predecessor. Her main concern seems to be what others will think of her - she constantly imagines the conversations that the household staff or the town gossips will be having about her, and admits freely that it's one of these imagined conversations that push her to go downstairs to the fancy dress party. When she loses this towards the end of the novel, and gains some confidence in her position as mistress of Manderley, I think she lost a little personality as well; even Maxim bemoans the loss of her innocence and youth.

The way du Maurier can set a mood is wonderful, though. It could be supremely creepy, have an underlying sense of danger, or, as it did for the last few chapters, make me a nervous wreck, right along with the narrator. Loved it! ( )
1 vote bookwormam | Oct 6, 2009 |
Showing 1-5 of 127 (next | show all)
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Canonical titleRebecca
Original publication date1938
People/CharactersThe second Mrs. De Winter, Maximilian De Winter, Rebecca De Winter, Mrs. Danvers, Frank Crowley, Mrs. Van Hopper
Important placesManderley, Cornwall, England, UK
Awards and honorsWaterstones Books of the Century (1997, No 44), BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 14), Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century (71), Anthony Award (Novel Of The Century, 2000), 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006/2008 Edition), Guardian 1000 (Love) (show all 9)
First wordsLast night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.
Last words(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Description"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is the book's opening line, and from here its unnamed narrator recollects her past, recalling the story of her transition into womanhood. While working as the companion to a ric... (show all)
Book description
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is the book's opening line, and from here its unnamed narrator recollects her past, recalling the story of her transition into womanhood. While working as the companion to a rich American woman vacationing on the French Riviera, she becomes involved with a wealthy Englishman, Maximilian (Maxim) de Winter. After a fortnight of courtship, she agrees to marry him, and after the marriage, accompanies him to his mansion, the beautiful West Country estate, Manderley.

Only upon their arrival at Manderley does the new bride realize how difficult it will be to lay to rest the memory of her husband's first wife, Rebecca. Rebecca is understood to have drowned in a sailing accident off the coast next to the mansion a year before, but her memory has a strong hold on the estate and all of its inhabitants and visitors, especially its domineering housekeeper, Mrs Danvers, one of literature's most infamous female villains.

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0380778556, Mass Market Paperback)

"Last Night I Dreamt
I Went To Manderley Again."

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.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:56 -0400)

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