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A review by nothingforpomegranted
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yet another classic I knew embarrassingly little about going in. Rebecca has been part of my consciousness for almost as long as I can remember, forever confused with Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm during my Anne of Green Gables phase. Though I never read either (nor Tess of the D'Urbervilles, which also fits squarely in that "girl from a region" category that so captured my fancy as a voracious elementary school reader), they've both survived my TBR into adulthood, and I'm beyond glad to have finally read Rebecca.
Of course, despite the semi-provincial setting and the innocent protagonist, Rebecca is nothing like Anne of Green Gables. This classic Gothic novel is the haunting story of the second Mrs. de Winter, married to Maxim de Winter in a whirlwind romance (?) after the tragic drowning death of Rebecca, his first wife. The second Mrs. de Winter is never named; the entire story is overshadowed by Rebecca, who was beloved by the servants, the neighbors, the dogs, Maxim's grandmother, and nearly everyone else who crossed her path. Beautiful, charming, enchanting, Rebecca is the driving force of this novel, despite its first-person narration by the second wife.
Daphne du Maurier's writing is positively stunning. I was immersed in the story from the get-go, cluelessly expecting something more akin to Jane Austen, a rags-to-riches romance with engaging characters and amusing plotlines. It was certainly not that, but du Maurier's writing carried me all the way through, flipping pages with absolute fascination.
This is a book that I wish I could read again for the first time. The slow build-up of the sense that something is not quite right at Manderley is absolutely stunning, little hints dropped here and there in the reflective narration of the second Mrs. de Winter, and the book's primary plot twist actually shocked me, all the more so because of the narrator's reaction to it. du Maurier effectively solidified Rebecca's belonging in the Gothic genre with this scene, rejecting all possibility of genuine romance in favor of creepy, uncomfortable, suspense, and it's absolutely beautiful.
Of course, despite the semi-provincial setting and the innocent protagonist, Rebecca is nothing like Anne of Green Gables. This classic Gothic novel is the haunting story of the second Mrs. de Winter, married to Maxim de Winter in a whirlwind romance (?) after the tragic drowning death of Rebecca, his first wife. The second Mrs. de Winter is never named; the entire story is overshadowed by Rebecca, who was beloved by the servants, the neighbors, the dogs, Maxim's grandmother, and nearly everyone else who crossed her path. Beautiful, charming, enchanting, Rebecca is the driving force of this novel, despite its first-person narration by the second wife.
Daphne du Maurier's writing is positively stunning. I was immersed in the story from the get-go, cluelessly expecting something more akin to Jane Austen, a rags-to-riches romance with engaging characters and amusing plotlines. It was certainly not that, but du Maurier's writing carried me all the way through, flipping pages with absolute fascination.
This is a book that I wish I could read again for the first time. The slow build-up of the sense that something is not quite right at Manderley is absolutely stunning, little hints dropped here and there in the reflective narration of the second Mrs. de Winter, and the book's primary plot twist actually shocked me, all the more so because of the narrator's reaction to it. du Maurier effectively solidified Rebecca's belonging in the Gothic genre with this scene, rejecting all possibility of genuine romance in favor of creepy, uncomfortable, suspense, and it's absolutely beautiful.