Reviews

Rebeka by Daphne du Maurier

danteisbak's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

lauraborkpower's review against another edition

3.0

**Add a half star to this review

Rebecca is a Gothic thriller that made for a lot of nice book club conversation about the role of setting, female characters, female writers, and the effect of a wet-noodle narrator. It has certainly inspired me to learn more about du Maurier and (as recommended by one of the book club babes) take a look at her short stories.

The audiobook is narrated by English actor Anna Massey (who played Mrs. Danvers in the 1979 BBC miniseries [!]). I probably don't have to say that Massey does a great job. But, Massey does a great job. If not for her great voice, I'd have disliked the narrator a whole lot more.

ameliavult's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

anamaria427's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Entretenido. Intrigante. Los giros de la trama sí que me sorprendieron. 

lo333's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

secretofmusing's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This book is a classic. Originally published in 1938 and subsequently produced into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock, there are so many ways to experience this story. THere’s now a Netflix movie as well, which was... okay.

The purple prose made it a bit difficult to get into, but it also added such a sinister ambiance that I couldn’t put the book down. The narrator often  goes off on imagined tangents and I eventually loved those tangents because it felt so incredibly real for the main character, those tangents brought life to her.

As the story progresses, everything gets a little more spooky and sinister and I questioned everything.

Spoiler for whole book

I love that the main character has no first name throughout the entire book. she's just the second Mrs. de Winter

Spoiler for author's note at the end

In the edition I read there was an author's note from the 70s? idk 40 years after Rebecca was originally published and I loved this quote 
 "The narrator remained nameless, but the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, had become more sinister, Why, I have no idea."

ranam's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious relaxing sad tense

5.0

magical_ana's review against another edition

5.0

one of my favourite books for sure

becca_day02's review against another edition

4.0

I haven't read a classic in a long time and so this was abit of a struggle to begin with, however I am glad I chose this book to start my love for classics again. I was immediately intrigued in the story, then when reaching Manderley finally I just couldn't put the book down.

The standout point of this book for me has to be the beautiful descriptions throughout, being able to actually picture the house, the beach, the beautiful morning room was just such a lovely read. I also enjoyed the plot and characters, although I do have to admit that I deciphered the twist abit earlier than I would've liked.

The only downside of this book for me was the ending. I don't mind the actual event that concludes the book but I just wish it wasn't so abrupt. I genuinely checked online to make sure my copy wasn't missing any pages as it just felt so quick.

leah_grace07's review against another edition

5.0

I loved the mystery aspect, I was definitely shocked by the turnout, the author did an excellent job with the suspense. The detail and language was also exquisite. I think this is definitely one of my favorite classic reads!:)