Title: Rebecca
Author: Daphne Du Maurier
Publication
Date: January 30th 2003
(Originally published 1938)
Publisher: Virago
Press Ltd
Format: Paperback
Pages:
441
Rating: 5/5
Blurb: Last night I dreamt I went to
Manderley again.
With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on
the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the
chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of
a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a
time dead but not forgotten a past devotedly preserved by the sinister
housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out
and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants.
With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de
Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to
uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife the
late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.
This special edition of "Rebecca" includes excerpts from Daphne du
Maurier's "The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories," an essay on the
real Manderley, du Maurier's original epilogue to the book, and more.
Review:
‘Rebecca’
is one of those classics that you don’t really hear much about anymore- sure
there are people on the internet who adore this book but people my age, or at
least people my age around here, generally have no idea that this book exists
or any idea of very many classics at all. I love classics, I really do- but I
hadn’t heard of this book either until my grandma recommended it to me. My
grandma isn’t much of a reader anymore and she barely remembers all the books
that she read when she was younger, but this book stood out in her memory. Now,
I can see why and I have no doubt that when I reach her age that this book will
remain in my memory.
From the very first line, I was drawn into this book and into Manderley
and the lives of those who lived there. The first couple of chapters are so
mysterious and I especially like how they are written after the events of the
novel which is reasonably easy to tell, but you still have absolutely no idea
what those events were. The lines between the past, present and future are all
blurred within the book which, of course, makes it more interesting but I think
it also adds to the beauty of the novel. The imagery within the book is so
mindblowingly wonderful. Manderley was described so beautifully and carefully
that it actually felt like I was walking through the haunting corridors and the
beautiful gardens alongside Mrs de Winter.
The plot of the novel is unbelievable- not in a bad sense, but in the way
that it was so perfectly written. I didn’t see any of the twists coming until
they happened and even afterwards, they still surprised me. I liked how each
twist and turn was presented in the novel at exactly the right time- nothing
seemed to rushed or too slow or like it was too forced- everything just flowed
perfectly. Talking about perfect, I think the characters were all written
exceptionally. Each character had their up and downs- I felt sorrier than
anything for Mrs de Winter, but there were moments when I didn’t know whether I
liked Maxim or hated him, as with Mrs Danvers- I both hated her and pitied her
at the same time. Rebecca, herself, was one of the most difficult characters to
decide on- every time I grew more sympathetic towards her, something would pull
me back into disliking her and even with the end, I still couldn’t decide how I
felt.
There are so, so many things that I could say about this book. Honestly,
I just adored it so much and I’m really glad that I read it. I definitely think
‘Rebecca’ is one of those books that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
