This book is incredibly popular, constantly discussed on blogs/podcasts/Youtube. I fear I won't have anything productive to add to the discussion, but here are just a couple thoughts. The first chapter, with it's famous "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again", immediately sets the tone. I was captivated by the atmospheric and beautiful descriptions of the estate from page one. The one recurring thought while reading this is how timeless the story felt, and thus how appropriate that it is a classic.
The characters in this are strongly developed and wholly original. I will always remember Mrs. Danvers, Maxim, the second Mrs. De Winter, Frith, Robert, Favell, and even Jasper the dog. I loved how Manderley was a character even as an inanimate object, and Rebecca was incredibly present through remembrances, even in her physical absence. The second Mrs. Maxim De Winter (whose first name we never find out) serves as the narrator as she struggles to acclimate herself to this place and emotionally distant man. The reader feels immense frustration with her indecisiveness and timidity, especially since she realizes this shortcoming, and is still powerless to speak up- even in the most mundane situations. In escaping her role as assistant to an older lady, she simply landed in another bad situation. The dream of life at the estate certainly didn't match the reality.
The twists in this were fantastic. I hate to be another one of those bookish people who compares suspense novels with a twist to the recent phenomenon by Gillian Flynn, but this book seems like it could have been the Gone Girl of it's day quite easily. I look forward to a book group discussion of this read, as well as watching the Hitchcock film. There will be certain iconic scenes I will be on the lookout for. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense and beautiful writing.
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