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Rebecca
written by Daphne du Maurier
Studio : Harper Paperbacks
by Harper Paperbacks
Release Date : 1997-11-01
Publisher : Harper Paperbacks
Released : 1997-11-01
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780380730407
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 484 reviews)
List Price : $14.95
Our Price : $5.74
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Product Description |
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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. |
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Not for the reader looking for a quick mystery/romantic fix |
There are almost five hundred reviews on this book, so I have almost nothing to add except the following.
This book is a romance/mystery written in a different time. The original publication date is 1937 or so. I have seen a lot of disappointment about the speed of the book, the main character, how the book paints women, etc. To those people, you need to understand that we haven't always been a society of people needing a "quick fix" or who even want to be spoon-fed, and books do not stay around as long as Rebecca because they are shallow. I rather suspect, having read Jamaica Inn, that Du Maurier intended for the heroine to be exactly as "mousy" as she is and that she intended there to be many questions left unanswered. The book is wonderful because even once a reader puts it down, he/she can sit and discuss it with others. Does Maxim really love the narrator or does he just want her to keep quiet? Was Rebecca the witch she was painted as or are we just getting a portrait of her third hand through the narrator (who got a lot of her material from Maxim)? Who really wins in the end? Rebecca? Maxim? And is justice really done?
As you can see, the possibilities for discussion are endless, and that is exactly what makes this book so remarkable. |
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Is it murder |
This a great story that kept me hook from the beginning. The story of this woman who felt in love with a widow and marry him, take you to his home and an evil housekeeper. It is intense and you won't see the ending not matter how you try. A great mystery, well worth your time.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
and "Trouble in the Elf City"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy) |
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About the time I began speed reading, the story got good |
I remind myself that this book was written 80 years ago, and that the frequent, mindless chit-chat among the characters about absolutely nothing was probably the norm for the day. If you can bear with this story until about the two-thirds mark, you'll treat yourself to a climactic finish.
I have the same problem with "Rebecca" that I had with "My Cousin Rachel." In many respects it is well written; however, we know virtually nothing about the characters. No background whatsoever (other than her parents are dead) about the narrator to explain why a 21-year-old behaves like an abused dog. No real background on Max such as why he married Rebecca in the first place. No background on why Rebecca was a twisted soul. Which leads us to our curiousity about Mrs. Danvers (we assume she was once married if she is addressed as Mrs.) because she is the one who raised Rebecca. No background on Jack Favell's dark side or how he and first cousin Rebecca became lovers.
Too many unanswered questions that could have added some wonderful complexity to the story. But hey, we know in excrutiating, repetitive detail all about Manderley's gardens. |
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"Have you ever thought about the future?" |
How about that for a chat-up line?
When someone told me they called their daughter 'Rebecca' for the character in this novel, my curiosity was raised. It is beautiful. The story is of the mysterious and unsolved death of the first Mrs Maxim De Winter, Rebecca, and how her death is discovered, with far reaching consequeces for an entire community. Mrs De Winter (the second one) got slightly on my nerves, but because she is so bland and neutral (and nameless!), she forms a perfect vehicle to narrate the story. Her gradual uncovering of the secret is our journey of discovery as readers. Her subsequent self-deception, however, does not fool the reader one bit.
Of course this novel contains one of the most famous opening lines in literature: 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again'.
Beware: if you don't like detailed and moody description, this is not the novel for you. |
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Loved it, Loved it, Loved it |
Once in awhile we have to do a throwback to a novel not of this century. Yes, we have to. But that's OK because this one is about one of my all time favorites: Rebecca by Daphne Du Marurier (1938). It is the only book I have ever stayed up all night to finish just because I had to know what happened. Since then I have read it several more times but this time managing to get some sleep in.
Rebecca was inspired by Jane Eyre, written by Du Marurier in Cairo, Egypt while her husband was stationed there. This British author's bestseller was a surprising success and spawned several films, television shows, and other novels. However, as we all know, are almost never as good as the book, particularly since when the first film was made in 1940 and was required under Hollywood Production Code to change the ending in order to be shown. (Warning: Reading the Wikipedia entry will spoil it!)
Since a big part of enjoying this novel is staying wrapped up in the mystery and suspense created, I won't comment on anything that might give that away. The basic premise is a young lady while working as a traveling companion for a wealthy widowed woman meets Maxim de Winter, a handsome gentleman who makes her his bride and takes her back to his estate, Manderley. The young lady is mousy and unsure, struggling at times with why such a man as Maxim would want someone such as herself for a wife. While the reasons become more and more clear as the novel progresses, the couple can never escape the presence of Rebecca, Maxim's first and deceased wife.
Once at Manderley, the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers makes her appearance and continues to haunt, cause trouble and general nastiness to the young lady, as she was fond of Rebecca and refuses to accept her death. Mrs. Danvers earns her place in villainess history along side the Nurse Ratchets, Cruella de Villes and White Queens. She'll give you the chills as she sweeps along the long creaking halls of Manderley.
The story is told entirely from the young lady's point of view, starting a little slow, but really picking up speed mid-way through the story as the intensity in which Rebecca penetrates their lives (with the help of Mrs. Danvers) from beyond the grave. Once I hit the last third, it became a novel that could not be put down as the mysteries begin to unravel.
Because of the age of this novel there have been lots of printings, you could pick this one up at the library, used bookstore or chances are, borrow it from a friend, making it even that more attractive to pick up and give a try. This novel appeals more to women than men, I did get a male friend to give it a try, he liked it, but also referred to it as a very "feminine" story. |
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