Rating: Summary: A classic tale of romantic suspense. A wonderful read. Review: REBECCA is the underlying novel for the Academy Award winning Hitchock classic movie and a recent Masterpiece Theater entry. REBECCA is a story seen through the eyes of a young girl who we only know by name as the second Mrs. DeWinter. She meets the charming, dashing and much older Maxim DeWinter in the South of France while she is employed as a paid companion. After a whirlwind romance they marry and he wisks her off to his hom e in Cornwall: Manderley. Manderley really is the main character of this gothic romance. The girl projects all of the insecurities brought on by youth and inexperience onto Manderley and the title character Rebecca. The most enjoyable part for me of reading REBECCA is the description of the house and grounds, the dishes and the bushes. Maybe Martha Stewart read REBECCA in her formative years. Daphne Du Maurier departs from the classic "whodunit" and is more concerned with the character of the place and the people involved. She shows us magnificiently how perception and reality can be almost diametrically opposed at times and the consequences of our often wrongheaded but very natural assumptions about other people and their motives. A wonderful read
Rating: Summary: "Rebecca" combines English simplicity with English elegance. Review: "Rebecca" is an absolutely outstanding book. While combining English charm and elegance with the arrogance of the aristocracy, Du Maurier creates a sense of intriguing charm and superb realism. One can sense the mysterious surroundings at the ever-elegant Manderly mansion while still remaining attached to the haughty Mrs. Van Hopper introduced many years before. "Rebecca" is well worth anyone's time
Rating: Summary: An enchanting story that captures your attention. Review: Rebecca is an enchanting story that captures your attention and won't let go until the last page is read. The second Mrs. DeWinter arrives at Manderly to a house filled with memories of the first Mrs. deWinter, Rebecca. Rebecca, it seems, was the perfect woman; beautiful, sociable, intelligent. Manderly and the people who knew Rebecca have were shattered and shocked by her death. As the second Mrs. deWinter discovers all of the things that made everyone love Rebecca she begins to feel like she doesn't belong. Will she ever find her place at Manderly?
A mystery encased in a love story, Rebecca is filled with descriptions that make the story come alive and keeps you turning the page to find out what happens from the enticing beginning to the surprising end.
Rating: Summary: It was the best. Review: This novel is about a rich, hansom, man name Maxim De Winterwho has a dark secret about his ex-wife--Rebecca. This novel is about his marriage with his new wife, which is the narrator of the story. Throughout the book, Rebecca's death seem to hunt the whole town espicially Maxim's new wife. This book was fabulous. It was a very interesting,trilling mystery and exciting book. You don't want to put it down.
Kelly So
Rating: Summary: One of the Greatest Stories Ever Written Review: One of Daphne du Maurier's finest novels. Rebecca is one of the best romantic suspence novels of our time. In Rebecca the rich hansom Maxim de Winter, seems that he can't get over the loss of his first wife, the beautiful and accomplished Rebecca. He then goes to Monte Carlo where he meets and supposedly falls in love with the narrator of the story. She then goes to his house the haunting house called Manderly.Which is run by the sinister Mrs. Danvers,who worshipped the ground Rebecca walked on. The narrator gets caught up in the life of the former mistress of Manderly Rebecca. This novel is a stunning portral of the fine writting style of Daphne du Maurier. Readers get hooked and don't want to let go until the end
Rating: Summary: A wonderful story - suspenseful to the very end Review: Daphne Du Maurier has done a wonderful job in her story. Rebecca is one of her finest works. The characters are so real and the story is very intense and addicting. You never really know the outcome until the last words. A must read for all
Rating: Summary: a good old fashion Gothic love story and murder mistery. Review: This ia a good old fashion love story and murder mistery all rolled in to one exicting page turner of a novel. It also teaches younger readers and reminds older ones to trust and believe in the one that you love, things are always not what they seem
Rating: Summary: Rebecca Review: "Rebecca" is one of the most haunting novels I have ever read. The opening sentence alone is enough to give one the shivers: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." The novel started as a project to see how long the author could go without naming her main character, and ends up as being a fascinating read. Maxim de Winter is a man with secrets, and his new bride, who feels Rebecca's oppressive spirit everywhere in their new home, is an honest and brave character with whom all readeres should be able to identify with. She is made of stronger stuff than any romance novel charcter I've ever read. Rebecca herself, although her voice is rarely heard and she lives on through memories of the inhabitants of Manderley is still a force to be reckoned with. Rebecca's loyal servant Mrs. Danvers (quite possibly the creepiest personal maid/housekeeper in literature) will make your skin crawl. The book has an astonishing ending and I guarantee that anyone who picks the book up will not only be unable to put it down, but when the last page is turned, will start to reread it immediately.
Rating: Summary: The greatest mystery novel of all time Review: A long time ago, I heard a phrase that struck me as odd: "They had everything -- money, power, love -- everything, except happiness." How could that be? The only answer I could come up with was health problems. A couple of years later, I read "Rebecca" and now I know. Maxim De Winter meets a shy, young, naive girl in Monte Carlo. After a very short courtship, they marry. The girl comes from a family of no distinction and previously worked as a companion. Maxim De Winter comes from a semi-aristocratic family. He has a lot of money and a house called Manderly. Manderly is a famous landmark and has even been featured on post-cards. After their honeymoon, Maxim and Mrs. De Winter come to his house which is haunted in every way imaginable by the memories of Maxim's first wife, the beautiful, intelligent, the darling of the society -- Rebecca. It is in this house that Mrs. De Winter finds herself very unhappy although she has Maxim's love, money and power... You just have to read the book to find the most shocking truth. This book is very dark, following in Gothic traditions. It presents very interesting characters...It is a novel to be savoured.
Rating: Summary: A pleasing book Review: This wonderful book bored me quite a bit of the way through, but maybe that is because I am a high-school student, and I had to read it. Without pressure, most books are much more pleasing. However, looking back, thinking about it, I love this book. Du Maurier is a talented author. She has created a grand environment, the immense Manderley. She has also made great and intriguing characters: the young, timid narrator, quite often the only one who is left not knowing what is going on (she is never referred to by her first name); the rich, enigmatic Maxim De Winter, the narrator's husband; the loyal servants, including the ever-active Frith and the bumbling Robert; the unforgettable Mrs. Danvers, always seeming to lurk in the shadows, always looking upon Mrs. De Winter with a keen eye of expectancy and detest; the tactless Beatrice; Maxim's agent, Frank Crawley; and of course, the dead, ever-present, haunting Rebecca. The narrator comes to Manderley, completely new to this lifestyle, and forever falls in the shadow of Rebecca. She learns of Rebecca's fate, having drowned in the sea after her boat capsized. She learns everything about the ways of Manderley, and tries to follow these unwritten laws. Then, a ship crashes somewhere near Manderley, and a diver is sent to survey the damage. When he comes up, he reports the discovery of Rebecca's ship! He also reports a body found in the cabin. Could there have been another passenger onboard? Did Rebecca even drown at all? Could she have been murdered? I won't spoil the big surprises, suffice to say this is where the plot twists and you begin to see the shades of gray. And of course, the last surprise, which is even foreshadowed on page 3 or 4, is given on the last page for the final eye-opener.
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