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dwellordream's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Murder
meg_elyse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Incest, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Blood
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Incest, Racism, Dementia, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The characters are all so messed up and maladjusted that you just don't know exactly what they're going to say or do to the poor narrator next. No one can truly be trusted; not even our dear, misbegotten narrator, whom we follow throughout. You can’t help but feel sorry for her as she founders through trial after trial. As you watch her struggle to get her footing, your emotions will start to mirror hers, by turns anxious, frightened, manic, and resigned.
The build up to each plot twist is harrowing. Anxiety seeps out of every crevice of this novel in both the characters and in the setting. The unease is palpable.
The reason that I marked the book as a slow-paced read on my StoryGraph review is because I often found myself slowing down or rereading passages to make sure I wasn't missing something potentially important. The action happens in fits and starts, keeping the reader on their toes. It is truly delightful and engaging read!
Additionally, Hitchcock's 1940 adaptation is incredibly faithful to the book, and I highly recommend it as well!
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, Incest, and Terminal illness
sunfishcakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In all seriousness, if you liked Phantom Thread and/or Gone Girl, read this book.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Incest, and Racism
Minor: Forced institutionalization
mina_m's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I suspected already thirty pages in that this would be a five star-read. Even if the plot wasn't so strong and layered as it turned out to be, the writing alone would be good enough to make me thoroughly enjoy the reading experience. I must admit that I initially presumed this would be a predictable gothic mystery that would be so well-written that the predictability wouldn't matter. In other words, masterclass in writing engaging mysteries without shocking plot twists coming out of nowhere (the perfect opposite of what seems to be the norm for most TV shows these days…Please read Rebecca and take notes, people). The "main reveal" was rather obvious, however, there were plenty of twists and turns in addition to this. The main reveal was only the beginning. Oh, what a ride this story was!
Our main character is a fascinating one. She is nameless (to the reader) and apparently plain and docile. She doesn’t have all that many interests and keeps her opinions, if she has any, to herself. She lives to please others and for praise from her husband. To begin with she is hardly referred to at all and after she (hurriedly) marries Maximilian de Winter she is known exclusively as "Mrs. de Winter". She stands in stark contrast to her husband's first wife, the charismatic Rebecca whom the story revolves around - despite her being dead. I found it very interesting and clever that the book is named after Rebecca while the protagonist remains unnamed. Rebecca is the one left on your mind as you turn the last page.
(I will not elaborate further on the book at this point in time. I might write a more thorough review later, but in the meantime: Go read it!)
I have a feeling Rebecca is a book I will reread more than once.
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
yolanda_h's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, and Terminal illness
reebeee's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Blood
Minor: Infertility, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, and Islamophobia
sheryl_reads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.5
I’ve given it 1.5 stars because I did finish it. But it’s so longwinded and ponderous I barely made it to the end. Luckily, the story picked up in the last 100 pages, but getting there was a chore.
The main character is so frustrating and annoying. I spent most of the book wishing that she’d stand up for herself. What is written as shyness is taken to an extreme of social awkwardness, to the point where I wondered how she ever managed to survive to adulthood. The situation she finds herself in is awkward, however hiding from servants in her own house and having trouble just functioning (and when I say function, this is posh English people functioning - so having tea and scones and finding ways to amuse yourself all day cos you don’t actually work) seemed too extreme.
Mr De Winter is horrible - his treatment of the main character (we don’t get to know her name) is psychological abuse. I’m avoiding spoilers in this review, but the end comes as no surprise.
The first 300 pages read like a really boring episode of Downton Abbey. There’s lots of lengthy descriptions of how our narrator fills her days - mainly being debilitatingly shy and self conscious. The last 100 pages or so are an improvement, but all the description are just soooooo long and unnecessary. I thought the shipwreck section would never end!
I had high hopes for this, since it’s a classic and a lot of people love it. But I couldn’t wait to escape Manderley. And I’d be there with Mrs Danvers at the end!
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Body shaming and Grief
nickoliver's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
More details to the CW: incest: it's between two cousins, and it's not really seen as something scandalous, so it might've been normal back then suicide: a character is implied to have killed themself, but as a reader, you know that's not true Also CW for casual racism (a character does blackface, for example), murder, and drowning and hanging (both of these two only talked about)