Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

3 reviews

singalana's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

Rebecca is an atmospheric story about a young woman who marries a newly widowed man and soon realises that the dead wife's presence is everywhere.

The main character is working as a companion to an insufferable older woman, when he meets Maxim de Winter, a recently widowed, wealthy man. They soon get married and return to his estate, Manderley, where she soon discovers that the former Mrs de Winter might be dead but not forgotten. 

The first half of the novel slowly builds atmospheric tension: the great Manderley by the seaside is a gloomy place. The tension rises to a breaking point, where events start to unravel, and the fog starts to lift. The first half of the book felt slow, and the second half felt perilous. And after I had finished, I had to return to read the first few chapters again. 

It is an atmospheric book with morally grey characters and an ending that is abrupt (for the lack of a better word). I think you need to be in a certain mood to read this book, and the types of things I previously listed. 

Spoilers ahead! 

There are a few things I found interesting. First of all, we don't know the main character's name at all. Rebecca was the previous Mrs de Winter, so in a way her Shadow is so strong that it suffocates the main character's entire identity. Then there's Rebecca's character and how the way she's represented in the book changes as the story progresses. There are a few hints of this earlier in the story. And lastly, there's Maxim de Winter. How should we feel about him and his actions?

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Animal death, Dementia, Infertility, and Murder

clairew97's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Infidelity, Infertility, Cancer, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Misogyny, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Terminal illness

anntharai's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I put off reading this for a long time, but the audiobook came accross my Libby app front page and the sample convinced me. 

I loved it. 

I don’t care, I know it’s cliche to be a moody nerd goth bitch and love Rebecca but I don’t care. 

It’s creepy, it’s anxiety inducing, it’s full of  horrible people - but I can see it. I can see Manderley, I can see the cove, I can feel the eyes from the shadows watching me and I love it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting, Death, Abandonment, Suicide, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse