Rebecca (original 1938; edition 1938)

One of the most brilliant books I've ever read. Good characters, captivating setting, perfect plot. I love it.

Recommended by: Everyone on the Literature Forums ( )

A million billion stars! ( )

A young American woman serving as a companion to an elderly lady is in Monte Carlo when she meets Maxim DeWinter. Sharing her off time with Mr. DeWinter, she develops feelings and when her employer decides to leave, our young lady goes to Max to say goodbye. He proposes, she accepts and together they head to his home at Manderlay. Here the young bride is confronted with all sorts of oddities related to the first Mrs. DeWinter.

The story that evolves is spellbinding. A Classic I could truly embrace. ( )

Why have I never read this before? No idea, but that was a very good read that I'd missed. Rebecca is the late Mrs de Winterand this is narrated by her successor, who's name remains unknown to us.She's very different from her predecessor. The book starts with the narrator dreaming that she's returned to Manderley, the house that is the heart of the story and its Cornwall coastal setting. The life she & her husband are leading is as ex-pats, moving from hotel to hotel in somewhat reduced circumstances.
The story then leaps back to when Maxim de winter arrives in Monte Carlo & meets his second wife, at that time serving as a lady's companion to a rather loud, somewhat insensitive American lady. Maxim takes the narrator out on excursions and (without once speaking oif his feelings) proposes marriage to her. She seems very young and very out of her depth, and he doesn't seem to do a lot to support her. After a honeymoon (which we don't see anything of) they arrive at Manderley. Here she is introduced to the staff, including the housekeeper, Mrs Danvers. Here, again, I felt that Maxim was being obtuse or selfish in not supporting his new wife in the dealings with the servants, and indeed, why Mrs Danvers was even retained.
Things carry on uncomfortably, with the narrator continually feeling she'd not living up to the standards set by Rebecca - the hosting, the parties, the handling the servants and so on. it's as if she;s being forced into the same routines and decision that Rebecca made, without being given the chance to become her own person.
Then comes the really shocking moment, where Rebecca's fate becomes clear. And the whole story shifts on its axis. The emotional power moves and things happen that are outside of their immediate control. I certainly never saw that coming. The interactions between the main characters is never the same afterwards and the fate of Manderley is not in their hands.
The things that did take the edge of this book was, for me, the analysis at the end. It was at odds with the reading I had of the book, and it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. ( )

The author
Dame Daphne du Maurier (Lady Browning) 1907 - 1989, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Daphne was born in 1907, grand-daughter of the brilliant artist and writer George du Maurier, daughter of Gerald, the most famous Actor Manager of his day, she came from a creative and successful family.
She began writing short stories in 1928, and in 1931 her first novel, 'The Loving Spirit' was published. It received rave reviews and further books followed. Then came her most famous three novels, 'Jamaica Inn', 'Frenchman's Creek' and Rebecca'. Each novel being inspired by her love of Cornwall, where she lived and wrote. For more information on Daphen du Marier visit http://www.dumaurier.org

The synopsis
"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

The review
I read this book for the fifth time now, I guess, it could be more and I still love it. The way the author starts in the “now” and slowly pulls you in to the past is just perfect. It is like your sitting on a train and it takes you back in time. I cannot remember reading any other book which manages to make that move so fluent and pretty.
The characters in this book are very vivid. Specially Mrs. Danvers is really easy to imagine. She gives me chills every time I read that she is close. Despite the fact that the protagonist is never named anything else that Mrs. de Winter it is easy to bind with her. You can feel the innocent love in the beginning when the older, handsome and rich man is showing interest in her and it confuses her. The love she describes herself as puppy love and total admiration of her husband. How she is forgetting herself to please him. I like how she grows in the story and sees her own mistakes but finds it hard to do something about it. It also shows that sometimes it does not help to think what others might be thinking cause it will only stop you from trying.
The storyline is very surprising too. If you start out the book with all the stories about Rebecca you never expect the story to take the turns it does at the end. The book is so well written that the storyline manages to surprise me every time again. I know what happens in the end but still it shocks me.
Still people might wonder why I only give it four stars and not five. Cause it is not really a life changing book. It is very well written and very entertaining but it does not really hit my feelings. I do think everybody should read it though ( )