Skip to main content

Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier

Eerie Suspense on the English Coast.......
Published in 1938 originally, Rebecca is one of those timeless novels worth re-reading.  Set mainly in England at the Manderlay estate on the coast, the story is presented in the first person by the young and impressionable new Mrs. Maxim De Winter.  Shy and plain, she internalizes every glance and spoken word, believing that she stands in the shadow of Rebecca, Maxim's first wife and the epitome of everything she, herself, is not.  Her journey, eerie and charged with the whisper of hidden, dark secrets, brings her to the revelation that self pre-occupation borne from insecurity leads one to blindness of the truth that is before us always.

Du Maurier's Rebecca is better today than when I read it as an adolescent.  The story winds slowly, twisting and turning through the labyrinth of impressions and lasting effects left behind by the departed from this world.  It contrasts the self doubt and awkwardness of youth and the vain debauchery of the beautifully young; the fear of the unknown to the horror of understanding.  It also exposes the effects of hidden hatred and the equally devastating consequences of hidden love.

At a certain point in the novel, I wanted to shake the backward, mousy Mrs. De Winter.  I wanted her to stake her claim on Maxim's heart and over Manderlay, but I patiently read on.  My reward was worth the wait, for when her strength was necessary, she delivered, drawing not on righteous indignation, but on depth of love, commitment, and the confidence and security that overflows at the certainty of being loved - of knowing where one belongs. 

The love affair between Maxim and his new bride is not the passionate perfection found in many modern novels.  It is the rending of the masks worn in hope of self preservation, the risk of placing one's self in the power of another, the hope of second chances.  There is a strong feeling of melancholy throughout the novel that this Broad admits I wouldn't welcome in all my reading, but it worked beautifully in Rebecca.
~Moira
starstarstar

Comments

  1. Unknown3/12/11, 10:35 PM

    this book has always been one of my favorites. lovely observations.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brazen Broads Book Bash3/21/11, 8:07 PM

    Thanks so much Stephanie. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this book until I read it anew.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

We Broads love comments! Thanks for stopping by.....

Popular posts from this blog

Ahh, vacation...

     Well, I did it.  I survived my first family vacation.  I'm pretty sure I have a little less hair and an eye tic, but dammit, I'm  alive!!        Yes, we have taken little vacations in the past.  My grandparents had a cottage on a lake about 2 hours from here and we'd go for long weekends, but this was different.  This was the 9 hour drive-stay in a hotel kind of vacation.   Everyone better thank their lucky stars it was on the beach, too.  No shoes makes Mommy a happy girl.        While I was somewhat mollified by the "Yay! No Shoes!" thing, the planning and keeping in-line of the entire family and their things was slightly less enjoyable than stepping on legos in your bare feet...in the dark....while sick. Yeah, for me, it's like that.            As my dearest sister Moira can attest, I am not up for any organizational aw...
8 comments
Read more

A Round Of Words In 80 Days...We're Game!

Here's A Group For Writers Of All Varieties... Click the link to find out what creator Kait Nolan has to say about her wildly popular and growing writing challenge that knows you have a life! What Is  ROW80 ? In short, it's a place to set flexible writing related goals in which you can glean encouragement from fellow writers/bloggers/reviewers and benefit from accountability.  (Complete instructions/rules/guidelines below) Here's what Mina and I would like to accomplish during Round 4: *  We will check in at least once a week, offering a post that deals with some aspect of writing.  It may be a writer we'd like to showcase, a poem we've found or written ourselves, or our own quirky commentary on some shiny bauble/idea/thought/fashion/recipe/book/author that's caught our eye or attention.  *  Both Moira and Mina will visit around and visit at least 5 blogs per week - that's 10 in all.  We may complete this for each check-in...but w...
13 comments
Read more

Tuesday Teaser ~

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading . Here's how it works.. Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Hi, All!  I've been absent the last two weeks, catching up on my reading.  Now I've got a new teaser to share.   Mina reviewed one of Katie MacAlister's books awhile back, and that review left me eager to search out this author.  When I saw this title, I had to give it a try.  One hilarious escapade after another, Men In Kilts is sure to elicit a giggle even from the staunchest of readers.  If you like humor sprinkled throughout your romance once in awhile, this is ...
11 comments
Read more