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"Last Night I Dreamt I went to Manderley Again..."

With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.

This special edition of Rebecca includes excerpts from Daphne du Maurier's The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, an essay on the real Manderley, du Maurier's original epilogue to the book, and more.

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

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Published Jan 30, 2003

Average rating: 7.79

1,022 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Rebecca* by Daphne du Maurier is a gripping gothic romance blending mystery, suspense, and psychological drama. Reviewers agree on its im...

CeLynasings
Aug 04, 2024
4/10 stars
The pacing for me with the gothic writing left me wanting to skim the pages rather than take in the beauty of the writing. Not to say it isn’t written well, it is just not the style I prefer. I have not ever been a Jane Austin or Frankenstein Fan of that era of writing. It was an interesting take though on the perspective of what would a person do if they found that their spouse had a colored past.
ChiisaiIchigo
May 09, 2024
10/10 stars
I will not indulge in a long and pompous revue of this book, it has been done to death and I'm no literary expert. All I will say is that, it is the best book in it's genre (Gothic/Romantic I believe?). Although mixing intrigue, mystery, romance and horror altogether, it never feels chaotic. Moreover, Daphne du Maurier's penchant for description is thoroughly enjoyable and never suffocating like it can be the case for some authors (Proust comes to mind).
AlephKaan
Jan 25, 2026
9/10 stars
Considering my ratings for other books this year, this one could only be a five-star read. I had a few minor issues ( e.g, our unnamed protagonist repeating too many times how unsure of herself she is at the beginning) —nothing is ever perfect—but none of them diminish the experience.

This is a novel I know I will return to again and again. I was completely enthralled, transported, and at times even stopped reading (taking a full week to finish it) simply because I didn’t want it to end.

Du Maurier’s prose and rhythm are impeccable, and the story unfolds with a quiet, suffocating tension that never fully releases its grip. And that ending—infuriating, unsettling, and brilliant—feels perfectly earned, lingering long after the final page.
gmalu
Jan 16, 2026
10/10 stars
Wonderful page turning read! It was surprisingly good!
Dew
Jan 05, 2026
8/10 stars
cool dark gothic story, kept wondering where is this going but enjoyed the buildup and suspense. could not get over the darkness of some of the other characters and why the young woman just tolerated the insanity.

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