Rebecca

Rating:
Summary: Timeless, Ageless, a true classic.
Review: Absolutely brilliant....the author has combined a modern falir with the classic approach. It's not boring like most of the classics, but can be fairly considered a classic nevertheless. Excellent language descriptions, a haunting plot and great characterisation. One can easily relate to the new Mrs De Winter as she is portrayed so well. The only thing I didn't like was the ending...it could have been more resolved, and it was hard to figure out exactly what happened. I mean, it ends with Maxim and his wife gazing at some yellow-orange glare that rises where Manderley. What is one supposed to make of that? But other and that, a literary masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: one book that kept me reading until midnight!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was a bit slow at first, but when it got going, I couldn't put down the book! It kept me reading and I was also a little spooked at what went on at Manderley. I admire the second Mrs. de Winter for withstanding the spooky Mrs. Danvers and emerging as her own person, not as a shadow of the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca.

Rating:
Summary: You'll never want to put the book down!
Review: Rebecca was the first mistress of Manderly. Would Maxims new wife be able to fit in Rebecca's perfect shoes? It didn't really seem like his second wife would be able to take over Rebecca's ways. Everyday she finds a new piece to the puzzle and starts to figure out what life really was like behind the big doors of Manderly. Every day the new Mrs. De Winter had to use Rebecca's pen and sit in Rebecca's chair. She was always being compared with Rebecca. Day after day she starts to realise the mystory and day after day she overcomes her fear and her shyness. Finally her womanly side appears.Maxim and her are in love and no secrets will keep them apart not even when the worst disasters accur!

Rating:
Summary: A tale of a young bride who lives in the foosteps of Rebecca
Review: Rebecca is the story of the second bride of Mr. Maxim de Winter who comes to live a creepy life at the eerie mansion Manderley where every object, every meal, and the routine of the household seems to have been arranged or ordered by Rebecca, the late and beautiful, Mrs.Maxim de Winter. Because of Rebecca, the relationship of Maxim and the second Mrs.Maxim de Winter is unsteady and seems to have a gap. As the second Mrs.Maxim de Winter tries her best to win Maxim's love, she is provoked by the cold housekeeper and previous maid of Rebecca, Mrs.Danvers. Bit by bit, the truth unravels and the once shy Mrs.de Winter gains enough courage to run the household the way she wants. The surprising, but satisfying ending ties the whole book over, leaving very little unexplained. Rebecca is truly an enthralling story that was nearly impossible to put down, for suspense was always in the air. In this special edition, there is the original epilogue of Rebecca and an article that Dapne du Maurier wrote for Countryside Character explaining how the idea of Rebecca was triggered.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Jane Eyre!
Review: Rebecca is in many ways a lot like Jane Eyre. Jane and Mrs. De Winter (her first name is never mentioned) both meet and fall in love with older men when they are very young and still fresh out of school. For Jane it is Mr. Rochester and for Mrs. De Winter it is Maxim De Winter. The two couples have short courtships and very suddenly they decide to get married. Unfortunately Jane and Mrs. De Winter each find that the men they love have darker and more sinister pasts than they had ever imagined. Jane responds to this by running away, but Mrs. De Winter embraces the new found secret because it makes her feel older and closer to Maxim. By the end of the books Jane and Mrs. De Winter are both portrayed as stronger and much more mature adult women.

But even if you didn't like Jane Eyre I think you will still like Rebbecca because Daphne DuMaurier combined several elements that weren't in Jane Eyre to make a fantastic book. She had a wonderful setting, a suspencful plot, interesting and developed characters, romance, and a very unexpected ending. Maxim's estate called Manderley is where most of the story unfolds. When the new Mrs. De Winter comes back from her honey moon Manderley is still ruled by Rebecca with her servants, her friends, and her furnishings. The new Mrs. De Winter must live in the middle of all of this and try to rise up to Rebecca's standards. In this book there is no way of predicting the future because it takes so many twists and turns. You never know something important is happening until it is over. My favorite part of the book was its perfect blend of characters. There was the dark and loyal (to Rebecca) Mrs. Danvers, the diabolical Favell, contrasted with well meaning and kind Beatrice, the ever supporting and tactful Frank, and simple Ben. The reader can easily connect with Mrs. De Winter as Daphne DuMaurier takes them inside her head reading her fears, day dreams, and doubts. When all of those ingredients come together you are left with a gourmet read.

Rating:
Summary: A True Masterpiece!
Review: I read this book for the first time this year, some 50 years since its been written, and it hasn't lost its magic! Du Maurier leads you in mystery down a particular path...and BANG! hits you with a "IWOULDHAVENEVERGUESSEDTHISINAMILLIONYEARS" plot. A must read (then you can watch the movie if you want)!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Rebecca: Passion, Love and Mystery
Review: This page turning classic left me speechless! Du Maurier captures the true essence of a scared young girl only known throughout the novel as Mrs. DeWinter. Without a family to turn to, Maxim DeWinter,a wealthy land owner with a tainted past, proposes marriage and sweeps young "Mrs. DeWinter" off her feet. This page turner provides unexpected twists, deceit, love and the transformation of an innocent naive girl to a confident woman. This novel is truly worthy of one's time!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Read
Review: This has been and will always be my favorite book of all time! It is an incredible love story and is very suspenseful along with vivid descriptions and an amazing twisting plot. I love it!

Rating:
Summary: A haunting tale of a naive girl thrust into a new world.
Review: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley...." Daphne du Maurier's haunting tale of a naive young woman who cannot escape the shadow of her wealthy, older husband's previous wife, Rebecca, who was adored by all who knew her. But in trying to overcome her feeling of inadequacy, the young woman (who is never given a first name) finds a terrifying secret about her beautiful predecessor. One to add to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: a suspensful page-turner
Review: Rebecca was one of the best books I have ever read, a true page-turner. Some would say the beginning was slow, as did I before I read the whole novel. Now I see it was perfect, a slow beginning that increases during the entire plot. A masterpiece that is enjoyed even more every time one reads it.