Such a wonderful book!

It is truly a literary gem that has captivated my heart and mind.

I just know that I'll be reading this dozens of times over.

The story is so engaging, the characters so vivid, and the writing so beautiful.

It's one of those books that you can't put down once you start.

If you're interested in hearing my full review, you can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbdMSy....

I go into great detail about what makes this book so special and why I think everyone should read it.

So don't miss out on this amazing literary experience.

Go ahead and pick up a copy of this wonderful book today!

10 years later...

Hmm, my perspective has changed. The romance that once enthralled me has now taken a significant dip. Rebecca is truly the standout; she's like the Amy Dunne of the 1930s, full of intrigue. The narrator, on the other hand, seems rather dull, and Max is an aging criminal. By the way, Rochester is far better than Max de Winter, and Max is a lesser criminal at that. Plus, Jane Eyre had more backbone.

I'd forgotten how much of the book was dedicated to the inquiry into Rebecca's death. To be honest, I'm not really that interested in it.

The use of blackface and repeatedly calling a handicapped man an "idiot" could have been avoided.

However, the first half of the novel did manage to fill the Downton Abbey-sized void in my heart.

The writing is beautiful and atmospheric.

Now I'm off to watch the new Netflix adaptation.

______

Books like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier often serve as a reminder of what quality literature truly is. Sometimes, buried under piles of entertaining yet often poorly written popular fiction, I forget.

At first, Rebecca strongly reminds me of another favorite, Jane Eyre. The main character is a young, innocent, and poor girl who falls for a rich older man. Happiness seems within reach, but the shadow of the man's first wife looms large. A family secret, a haunted mansion, a deranged servant, and a fire all play crucial roles in the story.

I've said before that I don't mind borrowed themes as long as they're executed well. A talented writer like Daphne du Maurier can reinterpret and reinvent an old story, adding new layers. The book is beautifully written, haunting, and suspenseful.

I also believe it takes a gifted writer to make readers bond with a character as insecure, jealous, and timid as the second Mrs. de Winter. Daphne du Maurier succeeds again. The main character is extremely compelling, and her fears are palpable. I found myself sharing her insecurities, being scared of and intimidated by Mrs. Danvers, and taunted by the memories of the first (possibly superior) wife.

Rebecca is simply an outstanding book all around. It's rightfully a masterpiece of English literature and will now be a new favorite love story of mine, to be cherished and reread.

This has to be one of the best and most complete books I have ever read.

Each element - plot, characters, twists, suspense, climax - all of it, is perfect!

If I had one criticism, it might be a slightly slow start. However, with the awesome payoff that follows, that is hardly worth mentioning.

The plot is truly captivating. I have to admit, I initially judged the book by its cover and title. I thought, okay, "Rebecca", an elegant woman, a curly font, probably just another cheesy classic romance. I decided to read it because it is one that you are supposed to read, but I doubted I would think it was great. Oh, how wrong I was!

Mystery, intrigue, deception, subterfuge, twists, turns, misunderstandings, accusations, threats, etc. etc. etc. So much is happening in this story, and it is simply great!

The characters in this book are also very well-developed. Each one plays their part to perfection. Due to the nature of the plot, you may never be quite sure who some of them really are. Perhaps, you will be left to make some judgments on your own.

Also, this book has two characters that are the essence of love to hate. One because they are a total a-hole, and the other because they are creepy as hell! I don't know what it is, but I often feel like authors frequently have a hard time getting easily hateable characters right. That is definitely not the case here - they are perfect!

The suspense and mystery in this book are palpable. I will keep this short to avoid spoilers. This book has about 7 big climaxes/revelations. Every second between those will have you on the edge of your seat. Others will catch you completely off guard. I can guarantee you will catch yourself holding your breath.

So, in summary, I absolutely loved it! It was great! Read it! Don't be like me and think "meh, a classic named Rebecca - probably boring". It is not! It is truly awesome!

I discovered this teenage book in my parents' library.

Finally, I read it and was truly amazed at the beauty of this classic novel.

I loved it so much that it became a book I highly recommend.

I wanted to rekindle the hazy memories of Hitchcock's movie from my childhood and understand why it scared me so deeply.

Suppose Daphné du Maurier succeeds in keeping us engaged from start to finish. In that case, I firmly believe this has a great deal to do with the chosen angle of narration. It is a story told in the first person by the frail and shy heroine, who is naive yet lucid about her status as the victim. And her tragedy will unfold her personality throughout the intricate plot.

It's even more Hitchcockian. You die! No wonder the great master appropriated this work in a symbiotic manner. From the very first scenes on the summer roads of the Riviera to the insidious weirdness of Manderley, I could sense his presence behind every stage. There was an unsettling feeling of reading a movie or seeing a book that was thirty years older. It always scares me late at night!

5 STELE MARI!!! I really liked it a lot! I recommend it with love

Well, hello there.

It has officially been two months since I actually completed a book, and it has been even longer since I last reviewed one. I had almost forgotten that wonderful feeling of reaching the last page of a book, reading it, slowly exhaling, and gently setting the book down, with that small spark of accomplishment burning deep within. Additionally, there's the whole post-book sandwich thing that I've mentioned before, and again, it may not be a real thing.

So, Rebecca... wow. It took me a month to read it because I began it during my yearly book slump. I put it aside for a while, not because it was bad, but because books in general just weren't captivating me at that point in my life. I think this is a safe space to share that. Maybe you are someone who reads all the time, nonstop, and couldn't imagine ever slowing down. That's great. I, on the other hand, set goals that I can't achieve and often find myself easily distracted by other things.

Anyway, for all of you out there in a similar situation, whether you're Netflixing and chilling, playing video games, or enjoying the summer outdoors, and you come back to books thinking, "Damn, I don't feel like reading and nothing sounds good because right now I have very specific expectations of what I want a book to do for me, and nothing will fit into these ridiculous categories I've created for myself, plus I don't even have the time right now and the new season of Game of Thrones is starting soon..."

If you're experiencing any of those feelings, go and grab a copy of Rebecca somewhere and relax. As I'm writing this review, I'm unwinding with a Community Mosaic IPA because 1) IPAs are amazing, 2) this one is one of my local favorites, and 3) I'm a bit of a hipster. Relax. Start reading Rebecca. Let it intoxicate you like having too many sips of a local IPA. From the very beginning, the writing is outstanding. It never lets up. Every scene, every character, every event... they are all described so beautifully and methodically. Sometimes you'll find yourself completely immersed in the suspense, and then a long paragraph describing the room will interrupt, but it's so alluring and feels so essential that you don't even mind. You don't even feel interrupted. It all seems necessary.

I took my time with the book in the beginning, but goodness gracious, I hardly put it down during the second half. I don't really want to discuss the plot, but the book did take some unexpected turns in a great way. There's a slow, suspenseful build that lingers in the air, and by the end, you have to keep reading quickly as things unfold because it doesn't let up until the last page. Whew!!

I recently learned that Hitchcock directed the movie, which makes perfect sense. If you like Hitchcock, you should enjoy this one. If you enjoy good, well-written, slow-burning mysteries, this is for you. If you're a human with functioning eyes capable of taking in the words on these pages, this is for you. Highly recommended. It kicked me right out of my slump and reminded me that books are truly awesome.

And, I get to enjoy a delicious sandwich today! Happy Independence Day, America!!

Update 7/9/17: The Hitchcock movie also gets 5 stars. Check it out.

Novels that bear people's names usually center around those individuals. Take, for instance, Anna Karenina, Tom Sawyer, David Copperfield, Lolita, and Sula. Even Moby Dick adheres to this pattern. And there are, of course, many more. Rebecca is also about someone, yet not the person we might anticipate.

Think of it as a punch. Visualize the foam. That's sherbet ice cream. The ginger ale poured on top causes it to bubble up. It's the first thing to tantalize the tongue. The remaining ingredients are more difficult to distinguish. They blend with it, dilute the color, and might intoxicate us.

That's precisely what this novel accomplishes.

As a writer, I am both envious and humbled. All the countless hours and weeks I've dedicated to naming characters, while you, dear and magnificent du Maurier, leave your most haunting character unnamed.

I can't help but draw a comparison to that trick some nightmares play. You know, those in which you attempt to scream but are unable to? That lack of a name foreshadows a silence that is even more disconcerting than any name could ever convey.

Some punch? This one is laced with a powerful ingredient.

I truly wish that I had come across Sally Beauman's "Afterword" prior to delving into Rebecca! As she points out, there are two distinct ways of approaching this book. If one reads it in a literal sense, as I initially did, the story can seem rather laughably absurd and worthy of a headshake. However, upon rereading certain sections and uncovering "the novel's imaginative links", as I later did, it transforms into a darkly delicious and captivating read!

Over the years, many readers have classified this book within the "romance" genre. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that the warped relationships between Maxim and his two wives are far from romantic. I was also misled into thinking that Rebecca had elements of the paranormal, but it doesn't. Instead, this story brought to my mind Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. These female authors endured their own "psychological horror" stories nearly 100 years ago. Even to this day, many women can identify with these tales, which continue to make these books highly popular reads!

My advice? Procure an edition that includes the aforementioned "Afterword" and read it FIRST! It is truly eye-opening and will render Rebecca a much more intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking experience!

Wow, what an incredibly absorbing experience it has been! This is truly a gothic romance of the highest order, one of those rare books that you simply fall into and luxuriate in.

The tension within its pages is almost palpable, at times smothering. It builds and builds with such painful perfection that I was certain my chest would explode before I reached the end.

Never before have I encountered a book that so cleverly withholds crucial details about the main character. We are never told her age, what she looks like, her backstory, not even her friggin name! But, miraculously, due to the exquisite prose, we get to know her in the most intimate way. I was completely absorbed in her thoughts, in what she sees and feels.

THIS is precisely what a good book should do to you. For those people who don't read, I almost feel sorry for them, because I would not give up this feeling for anything in the world.

I've recently discovered that Alfred Hitchcock made a movie based on this book, and I can't think of a more perfect pairing. This story seems to have been made specifically for the Hitchcock touch. I can't wait to see his translation of it onto the big screen. Maybe it will help me to curb the nagging need to reread the book immediately!

It's been a very long time since I've added a book to my list of all-time favorites, but this story has most definitely earned its spot. In fact, it deserves its own shelf!

That wife was truly WAY too much of a ride or die.

If Maxim were to sweep me up with all his baggage and flat-out refuse to ever support me emotionally, I would simply divorce him without hesitation. Let's face it, that rich man is just not worth it, honey.

I also have to say that this book really meandered around the central plot for an incredibly long time. It got to the point where I only found myself truly hooked by the plotline when I was already 70% through the novel.

Moreover, the mystery was seriously lacking in intrigue. When it was finally revealed, it really let me down. *sigh*

AND ONE MORE THING: The racial stereotypes, the allusion towards blackface, and the mistreatment of one character with a learning disability were just so disgustingly offensive. I'm truly tired of seeing such things in literature. It's high time for a change.

Some people go to great lengths to appear normal. Their inner voices are so loud that they struggle to hear the outside world. Their thoughts are consumed, and their hearts are burdened with madness. They fabricate far-fetched tales about events that never occurred, fearing the callousness of a day that will never arrive, and desperately attempting to hold onto things that were never theirs in the first place. Their minds are a battleground of the debate "to be, or not to be".... And their lives? Ahh! A misery.

As I delved into this justly classic work of Daphne du Maurier, I was left dumbfounded upon getting to know the narrator of the story. I felt her presence, the nonsensical chatter she engaged in, the imaginary conversations she constructed, the stories she wove, the presuppositional nature of her character, the naivety with which she saw and believed things as they appeared, and the desperation to set things right, only to make them irreparably wrong in her haste.

They say the story is a reflection of Daphne's own life. She poured so much of herself into it. Even the mysterious absence of the narrator's name, the second Mrs. de Winter, has its own claim to being Daphne herself. Her husband had a fiancé whose name began with a capital "R," just like 'Rebecca' in our story. It is said that Daphne remained suspicious of him throughout her life, believing he truly belonged to the fiancé who took her own life by throwing herself under a train.

Manderley, a character more than a place, has its own allures and alarms. The Gothic atmosphere that pervades the story keeps the reader's senses on edge, anticipating something seemingly unconnected to the events themselves as the story unfolds. I was captivated by the beauty of Daphne's craftsmanship and the ingenuity of the plot. It has truly withstood the test of time. Rebecca, the nightmare of the narrator, the woman loved by many and married by one, the kind and cruel Rebecca who haunts the narrator, is the inheritor of so many classics in this genre.

For the ever-brooding Max, I did not appreciate the way he treated our narrator. He regarded her more like a child than a wife, more like Jasper the dog than a human being with a heart and flesh. He could have simply gone to her, confided in her every nagging thought he was grappling with, and trusted her! We desire to be trusted far more than we want to be loved.

And the lines that express her state of mind:

"He did not belong to me at all, he belonged to Rebecca. He still thought about Rebecca. He would never love me because of Rebecca. She was in the house still... and in the garden... her footsteps sounded in the corridors, her scent lingered on the stairs... Rebecca was still mistress of Manderley. Rebecca was still Mrs de Winter. I had no business here at all... Rebecca, always Rebecca......"

Well, I could give it a 3-star rating. The pacing was so slow, and even her inner monologues seemed to drag on, making you curse under your breath. The murder of a woman is almost normalized, and the law is mocked for being too reliant on evidence, among other things.

But a 5-star rating... a tribute to the Lady who lived.

I recently reread this classic novel in anticipation of the new film adaptation of Rebecca. I have a deep affection for the Alfred Hitchcock version, so I'm understandably cautious about whether the new Netflix adaptation will do justice to the book.

This reread was truly amazing. I find myself longing to experience the first-time reading all over again.

The story is simply enthralling and impossible to put down. It easily deserves more than five stars.

The famous opening line, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...", immediately draws you in. The book follows our unnamed heroine as she travels from Monte Carlo to Manderley and becomes immersed in the lives of Maxim de Winter and the ghosts of his past.

From start to finish, it's a gripping read. You become so deeply invested in the unnamed narrator, sharing her emotions, her turmoil. You feel everything she experiences throughout the book. I felt anger, a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach, heart-wrenching grief, the excitement of love, and pure enjoyment. The book weaves a web around you, entangling you in the lives of those at Manderley. It's fascinating to accompany the narrator on her journey of self-discovery and character development. She's naive yet strong, self-doubting yet brave. Even in her weakest moments, she finds the strength to face challenges, albeit sometimes it takes her a while.

At first, our heroine is the lowly companion of the snobbish Mrs Van Hopper. During a trip to the south of France, she meets Max de Winter, a handsome and mysterious widower. She spends her days with him and quickly falls in love.

Her future seems bleak until Max surprises her with a proposal of marriage.

From there, she's whisked away to the imposing Manderley, a place so different from her upbringing that the contrast is stark. Upon arrival, she discovers that Max has changed.

In Manderley, the narrator uncovers more about the beautiful Rebecca, Max's dead wife. Rebecca's memory is kept alive by Mrs Danvers, the housekeeper, who constantly reminds everyone of her presence. Rebecca is described as everything the narrator is not: beautiful, intelligent, outspoken, and confident. The narrator becomes almost obsessive and jealous of this woman, imagining what others think of her in comparison to Rebecca.

Throughout the book, the narrator realizes that she doesn't fit into her new expected lifestyle. She befriends the housemaid and often does things alone, which conflicts with the convention of how the wife of Mr de Winter should behave. This only adds to her feelings of being an outcast, self-doubt, and anxiety.

The book also clearly details Mrs Danvers' obsession and affection for Rebecca. When Rebecca died, she was devastated and angry at Max's behavior. She uses cold and manipulative tactics to reinforce Rebecca's memory to the staff, Max, and the new Mrs de Winter. Mrs Danvers can be considered the "villain" of the novel, with her dark and somber eyes in her white face.

Through her cruel interactions with Mrs Danvers, the loneliness, self-doubt, and Max's cold-hearted behavior, the narrator faces something that no one in love wants to admit: that perhaps they're not meant for happiness.

This book is masterfully crafted. Daphne Du Maurier does an excellent job of describing the characters, their emotions, body language, and tone of voice, making them come alive on the page. I particularly loved some of the secondary characters, such as Mr Crawley, Max's faithful companion, and the loveable Ben, who is more perceptive than he seems.

In addition, the description of Manderley is superb, from the Happy Valley of flowers to the cold, steel grey sea. You feel as if you're actually there, immersed in the settings.

Overall, this book is much more than a gothic romance. It explores themes of scandal, lies, love, jealousy, and self-identity. It's a highly enjoyable read that I would love to experience again for the first time.