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savvylit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Rebecca is considered a Gothic classic for good reason; it's focused on fear and malevolence and takes place on a sweeping estate. The most striking thing about this novel is the way it is structured around absence; Rebecca is never alive during the book's events and yet she is everything. After all, the title itself is Rebecca and our newlywed narrator remains unnamed for the entire novel. Furthermore, Mrs. Danvers is a perfect villain. Her loyalty to Rebecca, even in death, causes her to be spite personified.
Overall, Rebecca was a very enjoyable read and I am glad I (finally) read it. I can see the influence that du Maurier has had on modern Gothic literature, and I fully understand the love for this novel.
For those of you who've read it, I have one question: do you also kind of hate Maxim? I see him as a snobby misogynist who never really improved.
Overall, Rebecca was a very enjoyable read and I am glad I (finally) read it. I can see the influence that du Maurier has had on modern Gothic literature, and I fully understand the love for this novel.
For those of you who've read it, I have one question: do you also kind of hate Maxim? I see him as a snobby misogynist who never really improved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Murder, and Gun violence
lagaialettrice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.0
Finished reading: September 29th 2023
"I suppose sooner or later in the life of everyone comes a moment of trial. We all of us have our particular devil who rides us and torments us, and we must give battle in the end."
WARNING: unpopular opinion ahead!!
I've been meaning to read Rebecca for years now, and after I saw one of my favorite books of 2023 The Hacienda being compared to this classic I decided to not wait any longer and finally pick it up. I had high hopes for this story, as I do love a good gothic thriller... But in the end I guess it wasn't ment to be. I know that the fact that I've been struggling with a reading slump might have been part of the problem, but I can't look past the fact that it took me eleven! days to finish reading a book that would usually only take me a day or two. I was warned of the slow start, and I definitely agree with that warning. I'm not sure if I would have continued reading if it hadn't known about the slow start, because the beginning is rather dull and tedious. Things do improve when the couple arrives at Manderley, and there are some clever twists and developments along the way. Sadly, I found the second Mrs. de Winter to be such a frustrating character to deal with though; having to spend so much time inside her head only made it more difficult to fight that slump and pick up my copy of Rebecca. The fact that she is basically a human doormat and lets everybody walk all over her became SO annoying, and she never fully redeemed herself for me. I did appreciate the descriptions of Manderley and the general gothic feel of the plot, but it wasn't enough to properly enjoy this story. I still might try a reread at some point to see just how big of a role the reading slump played when it comes to my reaction to this classic...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Animal death, Violence, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
atelopxobia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Cancer, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Violence, Incest, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Ableism, and Gaslighting
lcplynn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Gaslighting
madread8's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, and Gaslighting
lunxchloe's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My first 5* read of 2023! And surprisingly so. I did not expect much because "classics" aren't usually my thing. But the many positive opinions about this novel made me pick it up.
I have seldomly read a book this captivating. The start is really slow and I kept thinking to myself "why is nothing happening but I cannot stop reading?". The main character's stream of consciousness writing made the experience immersive. In some ways, I could sympathize with her naivite and her struggles to try and fit into this world that clearly has no place for her. But it's this exact writing that evokes this feeling of wanting to know what's going on. You share her feeling that things seem off, she doesn't fit it, but you're never quite able to grasp the WHY of that, because neither does she - until you're already two thirds finished.
You definitely have to keep in mind the time where this was written to put some statements into perspective.
This novel had me speechless and gasping multiple times. I definitely plan on rereading this sometime. I feel like the narrator's way of portraying what is happening around her is a clever way to cover the many layers and nuances of the actual story. I am excited to uncover even more once I can look beyond that. A strong recommendation for anyone that loves mystery and gothic atmosphere.
5/5*
I have seldomly read a book this captivating. The start is really slow and I kept thinking to myself "why is nothing happening but I cannot stop reading?". The main character's stream of consciousness writing made the experience immersive. In some ways, I could sympathize with her naivite and her struggles to try and fit into this world that clearly has no place for her. But it's this exact writing that evokes this feeling of wanting to know what's going on. You share her feeling that things seem off, she doesn't fit it, but you're never quite able to grasp the WHY of that, because neither does she - until you're already two thirds finished.
You definitely have to keep in mind the time where this was written to put some statements into perspective.
This novel had me speechless and gasping multiple times. I definitely plan on rereading this sometime. I feel like the narrator's way of portraying what is happening around her is a clever way to cover the many layers and nuances of the actual story. I am excited to uncover even more once I can look beyond that. A strong recommendation for anyone that loves mystery and gothic atmosphere.
5/5*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder and Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Cancer
shakakan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
acogna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Cancer
cady_sass's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
*mentally prepares self to be cancelled*
Did we all read the same book? It takes reading literally 70% of the book before anything interesting happens at all, and once it gets going it’s fully underwhelming. It’s soooooo long and for what purpose? Wikipedia managed to summarize the entirety of the major plot points in 7 paragraphs and, frankly, that’s more than enough. Just because something was written nearly 100 years ago with arguably beautiful prose does not make it inherently good or a classic. The writing is excellent and for that you get 2 stars, but let’s not glorify a novel that lacked proper editing and meandering plot for 300+ pages. Also, what is the purpose of never naming the main character? Let the woman have a name! Okay, rant over. Sorry not sorry
Did we all read the same book? It takes reading literally 70% of the book before anything interesting happens at all, and once it gets going it’s fully underwhelming. It’s soooooo long and for what purpose? Wikipedia managed to summarize the entirety of the major plot points in 7 paragraphs and, frankly, that’s more than enough. Just because something was written nearly 100 years ago with arguably beautiful prose does not make it inherently good or a classic. The writing is excellent and for that you get 2 stars, but let’s not glorify a novel that lacked proper editing and meandering plot for 300+ pages. Also, what is the purpose of never naming the main character? Let the woman have a name! Okay, rant over. Sorry not sorry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt