“Rebecca is a work of immense intelligence and wit, elegantly written, thematically solid, suspenseful..” –Washington Post“Daphne du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings.” –Stephen King Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter … 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 his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives–presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.
First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.
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One of my top ten favorite books. This haunting story is timeless. Told mostly in flashbacks from the point of view of the nameless narrator, Rebecca reveals herself to us like an onion: peeling the skin back one mysterious layer at a time.
This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite books. It’s had a huge influence in my work, as I’m sure you can tell if you’ve read any of my standalones. This time around, I’m listening to the audio. As always happens when I listen to a much-loved book, I get something new out of it. Hearing the story is chilling in the extreme; it is even more …
Daphne du Maurier was a consummate writer. Adept at building suspense and creating a fabulous plots. This writer returns to her again and again and it’s one of the only first lines in a book that i remember. Specifically because it’s a brilliant opener. And particularly to Rebecca which I rate higher than 5 stars. Such a clever idea and so well …
I am not sure what is was about this book, but I truly loved reading it. It was written so well, that it grabbed by attention and didn’t let go, the description were so vivid you felt as if you were there. The twist and turns, not knowing who all was involved, who was keeping secrets from whom. And the ending had such a devilish twist, I have …
Every once in a while you have to reread all the books on your top ten list. This is #1.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a classic … and for good reason. Wonderfully written. Gothic suspense at its best. Jane Eyre updated 20th-century style. Takes place in Cornwall with a spooky house, a heroine alone in the world, and a tormented hero. You’ll want to read it again and again! For a really great experience, get the Audible book. Anna …
A classic! I love the book and the movie. It took such skill to never reveal the main character’s name yet still have us totally invested in her story. It was a thriller that had you guessing until the very end. This should always remain in a reader’s library.
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
I was not sure what to expect from this book and it definitely delivered. Lots of twists and turns, secrets, and mysterious characters. In Rebecca, we meet loyal wife trying to fill the shoes of the first wife and a husband with a secret. The new Mrs is not only trying to find her place in a new …
Classic. Have been meaning to read this and sorry I waited so long. Stayed up last night to finish it. A page turner, psychological thriller. You are so in the head of the main character! You wish she’d just ask for what she wants, but don’t we all have insecurities like this at times? And sympathetic toward Maxim too. Maxim is like Heathcliff, …
Reading this eighty-year-old classic was quite the experience. Yes, du Maurier is much more verbose than most contemporary writers, but she’s good. The that most got me though was how differently women were treated in the book — you just could not do much of this today. The main character has what we’d now call a bit of social anxiety and a big …
I voraciously read every Daphne Du Maurier book when I was a teenager. Timeless classics. She’s the reason I got a “C” in typing class–I always had one of her books open on my lap. How did my teacher not see this??
The romantic suspense to end all romantic suspenses!
As a fan of historical fiction but in the action/advernture mould, I did NOT expect to enjoy this much. I loved it. Loved it! One of my favourite books ever now, I recommend everyone give it a go.
Oh my goodness what a fabulous book. So beautiful, so creepy, so gothic…This gives me Wuthering Heights vibes, but it’s so much better (sorry Emily Bronte).
Rebecca is a best-selling suspense novel written by Daphne du Maurier in 1938. The unnamed narrator is a naïve woman barely out of school who marries an older English aristocrat, Maxim de Winter, and goes to live with him at his palatial estate on the English coast. The estate and everyone who lives on it or nearby are haunted by the memory of the …
In a very similar vein to Jane Eyre, there is a husband with a dark past and a former wife who seems to exert her presence long after her death.
I read Rebecca when I was a teenager and was swept away by the powerful voice, the gut wrenching suspense and the dark, twisted love story at its center. I was hooked, transported into the narrator’s gothic world, could visualize each room of the house, and see the awful Mrs. Danvers lurking in dim hallways of Manderley. There was something …
Back with the classics. Rebecca is one of the best psychological thrillers ever penned. Is Rebecca’s ghost nefariously at work? Or, was her personality so strong it can seriously affect people through their own knowledge of her?
Daphne Du Maurier’s complex tale of Rebecca has both suspenseful and romantic twists aplenty along the road to Manderley Take your first step and enjoy the journey as much as I did.
What romantic suspense novels are made of. This classic tale of love and suspense brings you into a world of a woman haunted by her husbands past. A must-read.