Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

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74 of 74 Ciao users found the following review helpful

JOHNV

Member since 13/07/2000

Reviews written: 670

The unlikely heroine with no name
Review with images
11/10/2010

User recommends the product

Advantages Enthralling plot, full of atmosphere and well-drawn characters
Disadvantages None

First published in 1938, ‘Rebecca’ has never been out of print. It has been called ‘the first major gothic romance of the 20th century’, and was placed 14th in the BBC’s ‘Big Read’ vote for the nation’s favourite novel in 2003. It was filmed by Alfred Hitchcock and has been adapted twice for television in recent years. It has even inspired two unofficial recent sequels, ‘Mrs de Winter’ by Susan Hill, and ‘Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman. Can it really be that good? In my view, it can and it is. It’s a powerful, exciting tale that has several unusual aspects. Firstly, contrary to one of the ... more
21 of 21 Ciao users found the following review helpful

avitallly

Mrs De Winter, I Presume 08/05/2001

User recommends the product

Advantages Unconventional Ghost Story. Great rounded characters
Disadvantages Pushed upon young people at school before they are always ready

Rebecca is one of those "classics" you see on reading lists for School Examinations in English Literature. I actually wrote my "RPR" (not actually sure what it stands for, but basically, a book review) on Rebecca when I was 17. At the time, I basically skimmed through the book, read a lot of notes on the story, and churned out an essay with lots of long words, which obviously impressed the examiners, as I "made the grade" and got an A grade. However, when I came back to the book, a few years later, and read it through properly, I realised how much depth there was in the book. I'm now sure that ... more
10 of 10 Ciao users found the following review helpful

Kulsum

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again 19/06/2008

User recommends the product

Advantages Beautiful vivid descriptions, extremly developed characters
Disadvantages Some may find it too detailed

The author: Daphne Du Maurier was born in May 1907, and died in April 1989. Du Maurier married Sir Fredrick Browning, however this was considered as an unhappy marriage, and it was often remarked that Du Maurier would become so involved in her writing, that she was aloof and distant even to her three children, especially her true daughters. She was incredibly close to her father, a famous actor-manager. However, her anxieties and her worries in regards to her sexuality were hidden as she was awre of her father's strong homophobic views. Du Maurier once expressed her feelings in a private ... more
33 of 33 Ciao users found the following review helpful

sheri3004

Paranoia and intrigue in the West Country 17/10/2005

User recommends the product

Advantages Outstanding storytelling and characterisation
Disadvantages Likely to be perceived as a "women's book"

I first read this novel some years ago, but was prompted to re-read it recently by the fact that we have tickets for an upcoming theatrical performance of "Rebecca", and I thought this would be a good time to remind myself of the story. "Rebecca", first published in 1938 and never out of print since then, is narrated by a young woman whose name we never learn, although we are told it is a "lovely and unusual" one. Most frustrating, and the cause of a few difficulties for the reviewer! The novel opens with probably one of fiction's most famous opening lines, "Last night I dreamt I went to ... more
24 of 25 Ciao users found the following review helpful

oldchem

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" 20/06/2009

User recommends the product

Advantages Chilling, romantic, thrilling, gothic - it's got it all !!
Disadvantages None

REBECCA Just hearing that line -"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" gives me goose bumps!! I just LOVE this book. I first read it as a young teenager, many years ago, after my godmother introduced me to Du Maurier's work and I was immediately hooked. It is a book that I return to over and over again. If you have not read 'Rebecca', I envy you, you cannot unread the books you have read. You have all that mystery ahead of you, you are about to be completely and utterly absorbed in one of the best stories I have ever read. Don't read 'Rebecca' expecting to read a classic love story ... more
22 of 22 Ciao users found the following review helpful

femmefatale

A novel for the romantic in all of us 01/04/2005

User recommends the product

Advantages engrossing, captivating, beautifully written
Disadvantages too descriptive in parts, somewhat predictable

This novel was one of the reasons i have chosen to study english literature at degree level. It is captivating, and moving, a book that really can persuade any non-reader to become a bookworm! The story of a young naive woman, caught up in a world that seemed like a fairytale, only to find out that the paradise she had hoped for wouldn't be an easy road. This book really captures the essence of what it is to be in love, and to be devoted to someone. It is full of shocks and suprises and by the end the narrator has frustrated, inspired and humoured you, all the vital ingredients to a great book ... more
35 of 35 Ciao users found the following review helpful

brokenangelkisses

Member since 24/11/2003

Reviews written: 175

The importance of genre 18/02/2004

User recommends the product

Advantages A thoroughly interesting tale
Disadvantages An irritating narrator

Though REBECCA is often marketed as a Romance, it is worth noting that the author herself thought it was rather a dark tale of jealousy and envy, with an unconventional ending. I was struck by the strong elements of the nineteenth century sensation novel, intertwined with gothic pieces, which continues until we learn of Maxim's true relationship to the dead Rebecca, at which point the tale takes a strong turn into detective fiction, though the twists and turns are still occasionally sensational. This is perhaps a long-winded way of saying that REBECCA is not a traditional romance and has ... more
6 of 6 Ciao users found the following review helpful

Telute

Gripping novel of suspense 17/10/2000

User recommends the product

Advantages Superb atmosphere and immersion
Disadvantages Heroins can be too depressing and pathetic

First of all Rebecca is dead. She does not feature in the novel as anything other than a memory or feeling. So anyone hoping for a plot along the lines of a horror packed novel in which a dead wife terrorises her husbands new bride will be disapointed. But not by much. Rebecca haunts the novel as we see first the narrators view of her and the the truth is divulged by Maxim. The lack of a name or description for the narrator allows us to be fully immersed in du Mauriers novel. We see and fell as Maxim's new wife, lost in a house she can't commanded. Intimidated by the deadly Mrs Danvers and ... more
20 of 20 Ciao users found the following review helpful

Spottydog11

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." 19/12/2012

User recommends the product

Advantages Haunting, great story, twists
Disadvantages None

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." Just that one sentence is enough to strike fear and suspense into me but still make me want to read one of my favourite books again! That opening sentence is the first line to the book Rebecca written by Daphne Du Maurier in 1938. It is considered a modern classic. Unlike many other classic books I find this one so easy to ready with a brilliant plot and some amazingly well developed characters. Rebecca is actually deceased but her spirit is all throughout this book and her presence is felt so much. Her husband has married again and the book is ... more
8 of 8 Ciao users found the following review helpful

sarahdeacon

Manderly - great setting, great book 22/09/2003

User recommends the product

Advantages Sucks you into the story so that you have to read to the end
Disadvantages Has a strange ending

I have only recently finished reading Rebecca after it was recomended to me. I am often at a loss to find a book to read. I never stop reading but it is usually difficult to find a book which pleases me. Rebecca now has to be one of my favourite books. I couldn't stop reading it. I found it really exciting and I just wanted to find out more. Rebecca isn't the star of the story though. She was the first Mrs De Winter. Maxim De Winter has remarried and his new wife who we only ever know as the new Mrs De Winter is that star and it's written through her eyes. The story tells of her experiences ... more