Narrated by a young, just-out-of-school young woman who remains unnamed, the novel, Rebecca, follows her as she goes from working as an assistant for an overly demanding, wealthy and fault-finding woman to a whirlwind romance and marriage to the wealthy Maxim de Winter.
After an idyllic honeymoon in Italy, Mr. and Mrs. Maxim de Winter return to his estate in England. Mrs. De Winter knows her new husband is wealthy, but just how wealthy isn't apparent until she arrives with him at his family home, the enormous and overwhelming stone mansion called Manderley, located on the Cornish coast.
As she heads down the tree-lined drive toward the huge stone edifice, Mrs. De Winter begins to feel less and less confident about becoming mistress of such an estate. A sense of foreboding begins to envelop her. Her disease continues as she meets the cold and distant housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who still keeps the house just as it was when Rebecca, the former Mrs. De Winter, Maxim's first wife, was alive.
Sinister forces seem to inhabit the house. Mrs. Danvers continually makes Mrs. De Winter feel she is inferior to the first Mrs. De Winter and inadequate for the duties of mistress of the manor. Even more disturbing is that it's almost as though Rebecca is still alive.
Secrecy and mystery surround the death of Rebecca, which the new bride determines to uncover. What results is one of the best-loved Gothic novels of all time and a book that has been dubbed the "Best Novel of the 20th Century" at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.
Daphne Du Maurier was born in 1907 in London. Her father was actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier. Best known for her Gothic suspenseful and romantic style, she wrote "Rebecca" and "The Birds," which was produced by American horror film director Alfred Hatchcock.
"Rebecca is one of my favourite books of all time. It's possible I've read it 100 times, and I'm still not tired of it. I like everything about it - the romance that transcends social mores, the mysterious, worldly suitor who recognizes his mate in an ordinary working girl, the perspective of the shy young ingenue catapulted into a world of prestige, her piercing descriptions of her self-conscious struggles, the portraits of the imperious servants and the annoyingly jocular, ponsy relatives, the lavish, metaphorical descriptions of the house and gardens and forest and sea-scape and food at Manderley (the estate she finds herself mistress of), and the noir element of a creepy mystery she must solve to survive. It's a brilliant book but easy reading and I highly recommend it for a Saturday afternoon read in front of the fire when the blustery fall wind is blowing outside."
— Jennifer (5 out of 5 stars)
“Daphne du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings.”
— Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Du Maurier is in a class by herself.”
— New York Times“A work of immense intelligence and wit, elegantly written, thematically solid, suspenseful.”
— Washington Post“A brilliant piece of writing, with the atmosphere and suspense and pace that made Jamaica Inn an absorbing and thrilling story—and it has besides a depth of characterization and soundness of psychological conflict that makes it a finer and more penetrating book….A haunting sense of impending tragedy keeps one breathless to the end. It is fascinating reading.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Anna Massey, an experienced British actress, reads smoothly, capturing the innocence and passion of the young narrator. She does a fine job shifting among the characters, changing voices enough to distinguish one from another, even the male characters.”
— AudioFile" Daphne Du Maurier does a wonderful job in developing this novel. In fact, unless I missed it, she never tells us the name of the protagonist in this novel even though it is told in the first person narrative. It was so good and suspenseful that Alfred Hitchcock made a movie about the book. I highly recommend. "
— Chap, 10/9/2017" What a wonderful book! And what a wonderful narrator!..Thank u very much! "
— Oksana, 5/12/2016" I confess. I'm a Rebecca addict. I've probably read it a minimum of once a year for 39 years and watched the movie every time I can find it. The characters are fascinating, especially the evil Mrs Danvers and the cooly aloof Maxim. The rich description of Manderley has always filled me with a desire to find it in real life, walk the halls and smell the lilacs in the gardens. What can I say - if you are a Bronte fan or a fan or gothic novels, you must read this book at least once. "
— Bev, 2/12/2014" An amazing book with tons of thrilling mystery,romance and horror, it will keep you turning the pages! "
— Lilycat65, 2/9/2014" Good suspense, a little turgid at times, but beautifully written and descriptive. "
— Alice, 2/4/2014" one of the few books assigned in high school that I loved- reading it wasn't a chore at all. Wonderful suspense! Way better than horror. "
— Leisa, 1/16/2014" Truthfully it wasn't ,my favorite book when I began it, however, I did begin to enjoy it later on when I began to understand the actual point of the book. I would not recommend this for a person with a lower reading level. However, if a person has a reading level of tenth grade or higher, I think that they will enjoy this book. Just don't give up on it, because if you read it all the way through the end hits you like a ton of bricks. "
— Alexis, 1/15/2014" A horror story of social awkwardness. Beloved by me, not for narcissistic reasons. "
— Rebecca, 1/12/2014Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989) was born in London, the daughter of the actor Sir Gerald du Maurier and granddaughter of the author and artist George du Maurier. She has been called one of the great shapers of popular culture and the modern imagination. She began writing in 1928, and many of her bestselling novels were set in Cornwall, where she lived for most of her life. Besides novels, du Maurier wrote plays, biographies, and several collections of short fiction. Among her more famous works are The Scapegoat, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, and the short story “The Birds,” all of which were subsequently made into films, the latter three directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Anna Massey (1937–2011), the daughter of Hollywood actor Raymond Massey, was born in England and enjoyed an award-winning career on stage, in movies, and on television. Her stage roles earned her the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award, the London Critics’ Circle Theatre Award, and a nomination for a Tony Award for her only Broadway appearance, in The Reluctant Debutante. Her television awards include the UK’s BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the RTS Television Award. Her best-known film roles were as Helen in Peeping Tom, Babs in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, and more recently in The Oxford Murders and The Machinist. She received critical praise from AudioFile magazine for her narrations, especially of Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, and Wild Swans by Jung Chang.