Book Review: Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier

Paranoia will destroy ya, especially if you're a childish, self-absorbed doormat. I was rooting for the evil housekeeper.



Gollancz, 1938, 384 pages

Rebecca, a dark psychological tale of secrets and betrayal, is Daphne du Maurier's best-loved work and was named Best Novel of the 20th Century at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.

After a whirlwind romance and a honeymoon in Italy, the innocent young heroine and the dashing Maxim de Winter return to his country estate, Manderley. But the unsettling memory of Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter, still lingers within. The timid bride must overcome her husband's oppressive silences and the sullen history of the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, to confront the emotional horrors of the past.

( Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. )

Verdict: I've rarely seen a book mislabeled in so many different ways: "ghost story," "love story," "mystery," etc. All the editions with big swooshy cursive script that make it look like a romance novel particularly do this book an injustice. Rebecca is really the creepy but not quite as smart granddaughter of Jane Eyre and grandniece of Wuthering Heights. Moody and interesting, but full of characters I'd like to see drowned in the sea one and all, I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of gothic novels, but the Brontës did it better a hundred years earlier.

Book Review: Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier

Paranoia will destroy ya, especially if you're a childish, self-absorbed doormat. I was rooting for the evil housekeeper.



Gollancz, 1938, 384 pages

Rebecca, a dark psychological tale of secrets and betrayal, is Daphne du Maurier's best-loved work and was named Best Novel of the 20th Century at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.

After a whirlwind romance and a honeymoon in Italy, the innocent young heroine and the dashing Maxim de Winter return to his country estate, Manderley. But the unsettling memory of Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter, still lingers within. The timid bride must overcome her husband's oppressive silences and the sullen history of the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, to confront the emotional horrors of the past.

( Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. )

Verdict: I've rarely seen a book mislabeled in so many different ways: "ghost story," "love story," "mystery," etc. All the editions with big swooshy cursive script that make it look like a romance novel particularly do this book an injustice. Rebecca is really the creepy but not quite as smart granddaughter of Jane Eyre and grandniece of Wuthering Heights. Moody and interesting, but full of characters I'd like to see drowned in the sea one and all, I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of gothic novels, but the Brontës did it better a hundred years earlier.