This was a very clever book! I read it for an English lit class on English country houses (think Downton Abbey), which was a lot more boring than it sounded. It starts out with a young woman meeting rich Mr. de Winter in Monaco. She isn't wealthy; in fact, she's someone else's servant. Somehow he falls in love with her and they get married. He whisks her off to his rich estate in England, called Manderly. It's supposedly the most beautiful country house there is, but the new Mrs. de Winter is having problems settling in. It seems there was a first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, who everyone loved for her grand parties and smart sociability. However, she died in a tragic accident some time ago. When one of her friends comes and points an accusatory finger at Mr. de Winter, his new wife must decide if she should stand by her new man, or save her own skin. And who is behind all the accusations? Is Rebecca still a player in the game she has made of their lives?
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| Could this be her? |
Like any good mystery the book has plenty of twists down to the end, which did not disappoint. In case you haven't guessed, I place a lot of emphasis on a well-thought out ending. There's also a movie, but I haven't seen it because they aparently really messed up the ending.
The setting, which encompasses much of the mystery, is a beautiful but scary place. It's kind of like that relative's house that is always so perfect; you want to see it but are so afraid to touch it because you could have some invisible dirt that transfers. Therefore, the mansion becomes the Pandora's box of all the shit between Rebecca and Mr. de Winter. The final question becomes: do you trust his version of events?
I just finished this book on your suggestion and loved it! The narrator did get on my nerves at times, but I would say this book is also a growing up story. Ever since I read it, I dream about Manderly too, sometimes.
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