I picked up Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for 4 reasons:
1. Everyone raves about this book
2. It’s been on my TBR list for waaaaay too long
3. It’s on my Classics Club list
4. It’s called Rebecca, only the best name ever.
On the cover of the paperback I have, it says “The unsurpassed modern masterpiece of romantic suspense.” That did not make me look forward to reading it. But I read it anyway.
The second Mrs. de Winter (who, if I’m not mistaken, we never find out what her name actually is) tells the story of her experiences at Manderley, a fabulous estate.
She started out poor, as a companion/maid to a wealthy old woman, and ends up meeting Maxim de Winter while in Monte Carlo. No one would have expected it, but after a short period of time, only a few weeks, Maxim asks her to marry him and come back to Manderley with him.
After a honeymoon in Italy, they arrive at Manderley, a home that is filled with his late wife Rebecca’s touches and tastes. The new Mrs. de Winter can’t live up to the fabulous Rebecca, who everyone loved so much. . .
But something isn’t right. . .
Actually, something is severely wrong. . .
It just takes a while of reading to find out what exactly that “wrong” thing is.
Rebecca is a classic for a reason. It’s shocking, suspenseful, beautifully written. I highly recommend checking out Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier if you have not done so, especially if you want an easy-to-read classic novel.
What name do YOU think is the best?
Interested in getting your own copy? Check it out on Amazon& Indiebound. I get a small percentage if you purchase from those links, and it doesn’t cost you any extra.
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I’m so glad that you enjoyed the book, Rebecca! I’m due for a re-read on this one.
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I actually read it a while ago, just kept putting off the review! I know its one you really enjoy, too 😀
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I know, I’ve been waiting to read your thoughts ever since 🙂
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I know, I prob should have just emailed you my review in advance haha 😀
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Glad you finally read Rebecca, I know you’ve talked about reading it since I started reading your blog 🙂 You must be destined for great bookish things, your name and birthday are famous book titles! Glad you enjoyed Rebecca, its on my classics club list as well.
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Oh I didn’t even think of that, with my b-day, too. . . but really my b-day is the anniv of the Kennedy assassination. . . but I’ll take it! 😀
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I was recently reading this to review on my own site and the most annoying part was writing “the new mrs de winter” everytime I refereed to the narrator. I was about to be like “look. we’re just going to call her Bob. If she doesn’t have a name we’re going to give her one”.Aside from that annoyance, loved the book.
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Hahaha! So I used to teach elem school and when my 5th graders would have a hard time pronouncing a crazy name in a book, I’d tell them “Just call her Bob. It doesn’t matter what you call her, right, because it’s just her name? If you always call FKTHKTLH (or whatever they couldn’t pronounce) the name Bob, then you’ll know who she is.”
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This book has been on my list for a long time, too. Glad to hear you liked it!
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Enjoy it if you pick it up soon! 😀
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Glad you enjoyed the book, Rebecca 🙂
While I adore this book, once the twist is revealed all the suspense and anxiety was gone I found it difficult to find something to enjoy in the story.
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I know what you mean, like it could have ended a little sooner and you would have been happier.
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I still have not yet read this book. I need to! And, it is even sitting on my shelf!
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That’s how I was with it, too. I had it for a while, I just needed to pick the book up already! 😀
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One of my favorite books ever. I wish I could read it for the first time every time! Oh man – SOOOO good!
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I have this one because, like you said, it’s a classic and everyone raves about it. This may be one of the few reviews to really interest me in the book though. Good review!
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Mel is in love with this book, too. I am almost 100% sure she has read it twice.
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Nope, we never do find out the new Mrs. de Winter’s name – she never can fully come out of Rebecca’s shadow, can she? I love this book and you’ve convinced me it’s time for a re-read. I highly recommend the movie adaptation starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.
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I guess that’s a good point. No matter what, Mrs. de Winter is stuck, stuck in a shadow of her former Mrs. . .
A lot of people have recommended the movie. I will make it a point, when I get up again, to see if I can add it on Netflix!
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I had this on my Eclectic Reader Challenge last year but never got to it (didn’t even finish the challenge). Sigh, I have so much trouble with classics. I’ve had a copy of Wuthering Heights FAR too long as well. I’m still interested… but who knows when I’d finally pep-talk myself enough into it!
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So I also have trouble with classics. I find myself always thinking they will be boring! This isn’t boring, but it’s not like the most high energy type of book.
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I’ve had this book on my shelf for so long! And somehow I’ve never had it spoiled — thanks for not ruining the surprise!
I never liked my name as a kid because teachers etc never knew how to pronounce it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called “Lee,” even though the “ah” at the end of my name clearly makes it “Lee-ah!” But now I appreciate having an uncommon name. It’s nice to not be one of a billion Katies or Laurens.
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Wait, no one knew how to pronounce LEAH???? It’s sooooo easy! Maybe it was just because I had a few Leah friends when I was younger. . . I don’t know. . . but it’s not like you have a hard name! Although my maiden name and my married name are both ones that people have messed up royally!
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RAWR my unholy army of Katies shall smite you! LOL. No, not really. I wouldn’t mind having a less common name myself. And seriously. People screw up LEAH? Uh… Really?
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Glad you liked it! Others have discussed the no name thing, so all I’ll say is, yep, you’re right, we never know.
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Funny enough your reasons for reading Rebecca are similar to mine, except that I don’t have a copy yet. There is a Book Trust near where I work and I’ll have to find the time to comb through their shop to see if I can get a copy. e-readers are really not my fancy.
Thanks for a lovely review, Rebecca. By the way I do like your name. 🙂
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I read the book physically, too. 😀 It is a good name, though, isn’t it?
I do like e-readers for the free classics. But I switch and mainly read physical, and throw in a digital every 3rd – 5th book or so.
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Rebecca is a great psychological thriller, but IMHO du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel is even better than Rebecca.
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Oh I haven’t read that one! I’ll look into it, thanks for the tip!
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I’m glad that you enjoyed this book. It is fabulous and surprising.
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I would love to read this book, especially since I’d like to read Alena, the re-telling. I’m glad you ended up enjoying it! It sounds as though you liked it more than you expected to.
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Yes, and now I need to pick up Alena, since we have copies!!!
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I have never read this one, although I’ve read a couple of retellings. One of those is ‘New Girl’ by Paige Harbison. If I remember correctly, the new girls name was never mentioned, either. I really should make time to read Rebecca.
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There’s another new one, too, Kim. Apparently Alena is supposed to be like Rebecca. I haven’t read it yet, but I do have a copy.
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Good review! It’s been decades since I read Rebecca, but I remember that it really gave me chills. And left me wondering, at the end (though I won’t say WHAT I wondered, since that would be a spoiler.) Du Maurier was brilliant. I think my favorite of her books, though, is Frenchman’s Creek.
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I haven’t read anything else by her, but one of my book blogging friends has and she’s a fan of du Maurier’s work in general.
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Rebecca is one of my favorite books of all time! I first fell in love with it in high school and have read it many times since. I’ve used it a time or two in my senior English classes–teenagers still love it, too. I’m glad to hear you liked it; thanks for blogging about it. It kind of makes it “new” again! 🙂
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Aw yay! I think I need to read Alena, too, which is the new book that’s based on Rebecca. It’d be a good companion read.
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