Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I believe Rebecca is a very underrated book. Written in 1938, you don’t hear about this classic as much as others that came out around the same time, such as Tender is The Night, As I Lay Dying, Agatha Christie books, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Gone with the Wind, Brave New World, For Whom the Bell Tolls, etc..
This is a shame, as Rebecca is a beautifully written and creative story with great imagery and characters. Some of the details, such as the fact we never find out the name of our main character and narrator, to the twist that has you sympathizing in a cringe-worthy way, Daphne du Maurier wrote a wonderful and suspenseful book.
I first read this book as a teenager and had remembered enjoying it but wanted to reread it. Luckily, my book club chose to read it [in 2018] which gave me an excuse to bypass my long list of new reads and finally reread this classic. And I am so grateful because I got to enjoy this book all over again. It was so beautifully written with such great characters and an exciting plot. I couldn’t put the book down once I picked it up again and found myself enjoying every bit of writing. I’ll now be adding this to my favorites list and know I’ll have to reread it again in the future to once again enjoy all that it offers.
Synopsis: The heroine and narrator is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and finds herself engaged. But when they arrive at his estate, she suddenly realizes the large shadow his late wife, Rebecca de Winter, casts upon Maxim, his family and staff and the estate itself. Will Rebecca destroy their marriage from beyond the grave?