Rebecca

By: Daphne du Maurier

Narrated by: Anna Massey

The multi million copy bestseller that has enthralled generations of readers. A haunting tale of obsessive love. A mesmerizing psychological thriller.

In Monte Carlo, our unnamed heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck.

It is only when they arrive at Manderley, her husband’s cavernous estate on the Cornish coast, that she realizes how vast a shadow his late wife, Rebecca, will cast over their lives—introducing a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their love from beyond the grave.

This universally acclaimed novel has remained consistently in print since its original publication in 1938 and has frequently been adapted—for television, radio, the theater, and film. Notable adaptations include the 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film, which received the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the 2020 Netflix film starring Lily James and Armie Hammer.

“Excellent entertainment ... Du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings.” —Stephen King, New York Times bestselling of author of You Like It Darker

“One of the most influential novels of the twentieth century, Rebecca has woven its way into the fabric of our culture with all the troubling power of myth or dream.” —Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Fingersmith

Great Mystery Classic

This is a good read for everyone, but it will be appreciated by women more. The new Mrs De Winter must live in the shadow of the late Mrs De Winter, Rebecca. It's slightly similar to Gone With the Wind in that the central character is actually a house. Instead of Tara we have Manderlay. This English manor is set on the coast of England and is similar to Downton Abbey with the dozens of house hold staff including the evil Mrs Danvers. The young naive new Mrs DeWinter tries to cope in an environment that overwhelms her. But all is not as it seems. Kind of slow at beginning but it picks up the pace about a third into the book. This was also a great movie with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine directed by Alfred Hitchcock. (You can find on Utube)

Eerie English Estate A Gothic Gas

Rebecca, which won the 1938 National Book Award, is similar to Jane Eyre insofar as both involve an eerie estate and the ghostly presence of a former wife. By all measures though, this one is more frightening if you don't have any idea what to expect, as I didn't when I read this novel (nor when I read Jane Eyre).

The unnamed female protagonist and first-person narrator is a shy, gullible bourgeoisie in her early twenties who, while serving as companion to a miserably wealthy American woman on holiday in Monte Carlo, is pursued by Mr. Maxim de Winter, a recently-widowed, wealthy Englishman of 42. He asks her to marry him and she says yes.

The first two-thirds of the novel seem to have been framed by du Maurier as a sort of gothic romance with a formidably frightening subtext involving the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, who is presumed drowned after disappearing over a year in the past. Ms. du Maurier engages readers with whether our lady can gain de Winter's true love and respect (instead of treating her as a child everywhere except the bedroom) and whether she can handle the awkward social role into which she's been placed as wife to de Winter on a vast English country estate when she believes she has no chance of emulating the perfectly exquisite first wife. Our female narrator must slink about under the observing eyes of a bizarre staff, including the memorably scary maid, Mrs. Danvers. [Note: no doubt Mrs. Danvers has inspired the fixture in horror lit and films of the scary English maid (on a large estate)]. Our narrator must face Mrs. Danvers' contempt, her wicked tricks and her sinister reminiscences of the perfect Rebecca.

At about the two-thirds point, du Maurier transforms the novel with a chilling twist, as if by black magic, into an extraordinarily suspenseful thriller. This transformation allows our narrator to develop from an embellishment on an extensive English estate to the magnificent and mature Mrs. de Winter of Manderley.

Highly recommended, but not quite a 5, a rating which I'll admit may be caused by my de-sensitization to the genre.

A masterpiece, masterly performed

I left Rebecca on my "to read" list for too many years. This is truly a gorgeously written work of psychological horror in which nothing is what it seems. Read it now!

Slow start, great build to a strong ending

I decided I want to experience more of the classics so I chose Rebecca for its mystery and reviews. It was slow for the first few chapters for me, but then picked up intensity as the puzzle of the title character was revealed in cunning fashion.

I was a tad frustrated with du Maurier's quirk of leaving the narrator unnamed. Letting that go was another good decision. I was utterly entranced with the evil characters our sweet narrator faced through Rebecca, her personal maid Mrs. Danvers and the horrid cousin.

It's worth every second of listening for the final chapters that pay off handsomely in twists and turns you do not expect. Well done Ms. du Maurier and Audible for immersing me in the intrigue of Rebecca and our narrator's world of Manderly!

Superb!

I can't believe that I never read this book. It certainly is a most captivating invitation to read more classics.