Rebecca is a chilling book that follows the life of the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter and her experiences trying to outlive the ghost of her predecessor, Rebecca. She meets Maxim while serving in the employ of a Mrs. Van Hopper—a rude American who hires the narrator to be a companion. She hates Mrs. Van Hopper but doesn’t see much other option for herself since her parents died and left her penniless.
Upon Mrs. Van Hopper becoming ill, the narrator and Mr. de Winter strike up a friendship that turns into something more and eventually marry. It’s upon the return to Mr. de Winter’s estate, Manderley, that things start to get interesting and complicated for the narrator. We follow along as she deals with family, the servants and former friends, and attempts to make a happy life for herself and Maxim. The mysterious death of Rebecca haunts the main character though she can’t quit pinpoint why, and we follow her through her daily routine until she discovers what happened and why it’s important to her.
I found the book tedious at points. The writing is very tightly wound up in the narrator’s mind and we follow her thoughts through several permutations of “what could have happened” or “what might be happening” or “what other people are currently thinking about her”, etc. I never felt like putting the book aside, however, but I did find it difficult to get into in the beginning. And it isn’t until around p. 200 (in my edition) that it becomes gripping…and the book is indeed gripping, and I finished the last 200pp in an evening and the following afternoon.
Recommended.
1 comment:
"Rebecca" has always been one of my favorite books. I love the old movie too which stars Joan Fontaine as the mousey heroine. I always found it intriguing that "her" name was never mentioned in the book. I always wondered if it was "Daphne."
Auntie J.
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