Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Rebecca

“I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth.”

There is no need for me to write a long gushing review, breaking down the reasons this book is a classic and why it deserves its reputation. There are hundreds of those. But I’m doing it anyway. We meet our narrator when she is on vacation with her employer. She is down on her luck, an orphan, and the paid companion of an odious woman she does not like. They meet Mr. de Winter, then because her employer takes ill, she has a lot of free time she happens to spend with Mr. de Winter. Just after her employer is well again and they are set to leave, Mr. de Winter proposes and whisks her away.

This book is quite slow paced, and builds tension very gradually until about 60%. It is very “slice of life” as you experience the protagonist becoming used to life as the lady of Manderley house. She is young, 21, shy, too trusting, naïve, a bit silly and prone to daydreaming. She’s a doormat folks and it gets quite a bit frustrating at times. After a very whirlwind romance, she marries Mr. de Winter and becomes his second wife. He is older, 42, a bit cold, standoffish, and unsupportive. As she adjusts to her new life she is constantly overshadowed by the memory of the deceased Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter. This leads to a bit of obsessive jealousy from our protagonist and feeling of inferiority, after all everyone just adored Rebecca. The sinister air surrounding Manderley builds slowly but by the second half of the book it becomes nail-biting tension.

This book is not much of a romance in the traditional sense. The romance is very much a subplot, you do not witness them falling in love and for much of the book the MMC is not present or likable. You have more of a girl's fascination with playing the part of a wife. Instead, this is very much a book about our protagonist gaining confidence and deciding that if she is to live her life she must stop just letting life happen to her, and take charge of her situation. It’s quite satisfying watching her go from doormat to the lady of the house. I cheered the protagonist on when she stood up for herself. I gasped at the big reveal.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sinister dark nature of this book. I can’t say I ever got bored either as the pacing is slow but steady, even when nothing much is happening. The characters come alive and the setting really puts you in the time of the 1930's among the English aristocracy. And of course, once the story takes off it does not let go. On audio this was wonderfully read by Anna Massey.

I always thought this book was a tale with ghosts, as in spectral entities that haunt. However, this book does not have a single occurrence of a ghost. Its pages are haunted by memories and the consequences of actions.

Content Warnings

seanml's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A supremely excellent narrative. Daphne de Maurier allows you to feel the complete dread that the protagonist does about every possible thing. Wonderful characters (As terrible as they may be), palpable fear, and real anger at a certain character. 10/10.

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raisinreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

yeah, I would not call it romantic, but I enjoyed it. These old write authors always hit you with the casual racism.

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cassiealexandra's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

Somehow I missed this classic from the 1930s until now, and I’m so glad I picked it up. The cover of my copy says, “a classic tale of romantic suspense,” and I think that description is fitting. This had the feel of gothic horror but without any supernatural elements. I loved the sinister and severe character of Mrs. Danvers. I liked the way that we watch the narrator (who is never named) come into her own, going from a 21-year-old unable to speak her mind and stand up for herself, constantly feeling herself in the shadow of her new husband’s first wife, into a grown woman in a matter of days. Getting into her psyche and seeing her imagination get the best of her, playing out full conversations and paranoid scenarios was so interesting to me. The phantom, ghost-like presence of Rebecca, the narrator’s predecessor, was haunting as were the grounds, rooms, and items at Manderley. The descriptions of the gardens and ocean were so vivid, it was almost physically cloying at times. Everything had the shadow of Rebecca laced in it, and it was easy to see why the narrator could hardly help but compare herself. Oddly, this large age-gap romance was sweet at times, even though at first the narrator wonders if she serves more as a lap-dog to Maxim than wife. What I like most may have been the structure though because the opening chapters serve as an epilogue. The reverse storytelling made me want to pick the book right up again and reread.

The bottom line: This is the perfect blend of suspense, romance, and classic genres with a deep dive into a narrator’s head, gothic elements, whispers of a mysterious past, and a haunting and beautiful English estate setting.

— NOTES —
Genres: classic, gothic, suspense, romance
POV: 1st-person, singular
Content: death, toxic relationship, ɹǝɔuɐɔ ʻʇsǝɔuᴉ
Romance: kissing only

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)

Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 5

Total Stars: 4.5

Content Warnings

elizabeth_henry's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

blacksphinx's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

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