Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

146 reviews

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious relaxing sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I typed an extensive review and lost it all. I loved it so much !!



I went in immense detail but now I’m frustrated and lazy so here is the short version:

The characterisation of our protagonist felt accurate and appropriate for her context as a sheltered young woman with low self esteem, who does not develop as a result of passed time but rather hardships and trauma which come later in the novel. The narrative progression was perfect I believe, the Gothic scene of Manderley being reinforced in the first half with the supernatural elements keeping my interest (albeit more psychologically thrilling than supernatural) which allowed for the plot twists of the second half to be more jarring. I love Mrs Danvers, especially as we first think she is the antagonist, and she was the main reason I read the first couple of hundred pages so easily. I love Rebecca the femme fatale who we only know through memories of the past, I also love Beatrice as the kind sister in law. I feel as though the female characters are barred from one another, or that they are the cause of one another’s problems whereas the protagonist finds allies in make characters — which I didn’t like but it could be argued that it is social commentary. I really was rooting for the protagonists while sympathetic to Mrs Danvers, Beatrice and even Rebecca.
Rebecca is painted as evil as Maxim without evidence and we only empathise with him through the lens of the protagonist whose self esteem is entangled with his appraisal. She exults him to godhood when he’s really the monster although he vilifies Rebecca for her disloyalty. IMO Rebecca needed financial independence not a marriage, so that she could be wild and free and do the things a young bachelor could with impunity.

I really like to read it as a social commentary especially through female relationships, jealousy, competition such as Rebecca and the protagonist or even devotion and obsession(Mrs Danvers AND the protagonist are obsessed in different ways: adoration and envy). The relationship between Maxim and the protagonist is predatory, vampiric and just creepy however I like to see how Maxim is characterised through the protagonist’s emotional lens— not by his actions or the content of his words is he evaluated but rather the emotional impression he leaves. I could continue forever but this book is fantastic and definitely amongst my favourites 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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: Yes

This book was so tough to get through. I know it’s an early psychological thriller but the main character was so whiny and unlikeable.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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: Yes

This is my third reread and I love it as much as ever. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

While reading this novel, I was constantly thinking about the story of Bluebeard. Specifically, in my mind, this novel seems to ask, what if Bluebeard’s newest wife past his test? What if she learned about his bloody chamber and still loved him? 

Going into this story, I expected a story of a young heroine living in the home and shadow of the wife that came before her. And yeah, I kinda did get that. But while many compare this book to Jane Eyre, Du Maurier portrayal of marriage, class and gender remind me of Shirley Jackson’s domestic horror. By the end of the book, I felt like almost every character — including the sweet, naive protagonist — was on some level sinister. There is no clear villian, victim or victor. There is absolutely no escape for anyone in this story. 

I honestly am not sure how much I really love or like this novel, but I know that I am going think about this book for a long, long time afterwards. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings