Rebecca

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I experienced while listening to this audiobook. First off, the narration was EXCELLENT! Anna Massey does a superb job with distinct voices for the various characters.

I was most frustrated, many times, by the new Mrs. de Winter. I won’t state why. If you have read this, I’m sure you know.

Mrs. Danvers was quite the character. That one scene…

And what is revealed about the first Mrs. de Winter was quite unexpected - especially to this listener.

I can see myself listening to this one again in future. Well done.

I feel like I’ll have to check out other books by this author. If they’re all this good…

There were parts of this I really liked and parts I really didn't
There were definitely parts that didn't age well

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).

I waited for this audiobook for over a year from the library. It met my expectations as a psychological thriller. It sort of reminded me of Jane Eyre, in an odd way. But Jane Eyre was much better in my opinion. I’m not sure I liked knowing the conversations going on in the main character’s head in Rebecca. I may read Rebecca this Winter, curled up under a blanket.

11/7/21: There is not much that I can really say about this book that hasn't already been said. What an amazing novel that holds up not only in the five years since I first read it, but in the almost hundred years since it was first published. The author really knew how to use the description of weather and physical setting in order to pull the reader into the atmosphere of a story. Very much in the true gothic literature tradition with such good and memorable characters, especially Mrs. Danvers of course. At the end, I was mostly worried that the dog died in the fire but I looked around online and it doesn't seem like that was the case, so I can be happy with that. I also read some analysis about the main character and the fact that she stays unnamed the entire novel, and how that symbolizes Rebecca's hold over her very identity, both as Maxim's new wife, but also who she is as a person, and I loved that. I definitely read the book this time with this in mind and it really changed how I saw the main character and her interactions with Mrs. Danvers especially.

10/10 would still recommend!

9/18/2016: I thought I would like this book, but I was really surprised by how much I loved it. Dark character psychology. Sketchy housekeepers. Murder most foul. A ghost story that isn't a ghost story. And puppies! This book has everything. Also all the characters were awesome and I really liked the ending. It seemed quite fitting after everything. 10/10 would definitely recommend!