Book review: Rebecca
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
After a whirlwind romance, the young Mrs. de Winter arrives at Manderley, the ancestral home of her much older husband, Maxim. Despite whispers that his first wife’s tragic death still haunts him, she is determined to forge a new life-until she quickly realizes that in many respects, the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, has not left Manderley at all. Rebecca’s rooms are untouched, and kept clean nearly every day. The help remind the new bride constantly of Rebecca’s housekeeping preferences, especially the resentful Mrs. Danvers. And even the neighbors inquire if she will host the same balls and parties that Rebecca was so admired for. With her husband growing more cold and distant, the young Mrs. de Winter cannot help but seek the truth about Rebecca’s real fate, but it may be more than what she bargained for.
My thoughts
Even before finding out Du Maurier’s inspiration for the book, about halfway through I though that this novel is like an alternate universe version of Jane Eyre. What if Jane Eyre had married Rochester the first time around, not knowing that he had a crazy wife in the attic? How would she go about finding out the truth, and how would her relationship with Rochester change? And it turns out my question wasn’t that far off the mark: apparently Du Maurier was inspired by Jane Eyre while she was on vacation in Egypt, of all things.
The novel’s a pleasant page-turner, because Du Maurier is uncannily adept at building characters that are either dead or seemingly inanimate. From the way others speak of Rebecca, you almost feel bad for the second wife, for Rebecca was so worldly, charming, sophisticated, and beautiful. She did everything with aplomb, from planning parties to horse riding. How could anyone else have a chance? The young wife finally breaks down halfway through the novel: “He did not belong to me at all, he belonged to Rebecca. He still thought about Rebecca. He would never love me because of Rebecca” (233). I think it’s the way Rebecca’s character can be absolutely anything and full of possibility that makes her one of the most exciting dead characters to read about.
Manderley, the estate itself, is another vivid character. While descriptions of it dangerously veer into verbose territory, Du Maurier renders every room, every part of the grounds with such careful detail that it heightened the suspense.** Also, Du Maurier sets out from the beginning that the de Winters are not able to go back there again, so you’re left wondering what’s so forbidding about the place.
My main critique of the novel, though, is with Du Maurier’s living characters, especially Maxim and the young bride. Du Maurier purposely makes the second wife young and naïve, so that she can learn to be more confident, but sometimes, she came off as too desperate to please her husband. Whenever she asks Maxim Are we happy? Oh, do say we’re happy! I kept thinking of those old-style black and white films, with the heroine in tears because her lover is surly. Maxim, too, can be irritating with his patronizing attitude. But all these details also highlight how this 1938 novel is a fascinating snapshot of a not-yet-modern England, with very different notions of gender and class roles. It was very intriguing to see how the second Mrs. de Winter negotiates her new status as the wife of an upperclass gentleman, since previously she was just a paid companion, a lady’s maid of sorts.
All in all, I enjoyed it, but I actually think the other reviews on Amazon.com over-hyped its appeal.
** When reading descriptions of Manderley, I kept thinking of the Vanderbilt’s mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Called The Breakers, it has a terrace that faces the sea as well. (Scroll down to the photographs at the bottom, the Breakers are the second and third images.) Just add some thunder, lightning, almost overgrowing hedges, and you've got Manderley!
Favorite Quote
Did she resent me and fear me as I resented her? Did she want Maxim alone in the house again? I could fight the living but I could not fight the dead. If there was some woman in London that Maxim loved, someone he wrote to, visited, dined with, slept with, I could fight with her. We would stand on common ground. I should not be afraid. Anger and jealousy were things that could be conquered. One day the woman would grow old or tired or different, and Maxim would not love her anymore. But Rebecca would never grow old. Rebecca would always be the same. And she and I could not fight. She was too strong for me (234).
After a whirlwind romance, the young Mrs. de Winter arrives at Manderley, the ancestral home of her much older husband, Maxim. Despite whispers that his first wife’s tragic death still haunts him, she is determined to forge a new life-until she quickly realizes that in many respects, the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, has not left Manderley at all. Rebecca’s rooms are untouched, and kept clean nearly every day. The help remind the new bride constantly of Rebecca’s housekeeping preferences, especially the resentful Mrs. Danvers. And even the neighbors inquire if she will host the same balls and parties that Rebecca was so admired for. With her husband growing more cold and distant, the young Mrs. de Winter cannot help but seek the truth about Rebecca’s real fate, but it may be more than what she bargained for.
My thoughts
Even before finding out Du Maurier’s inspiration for the book, about halfway through I though that this novel is like an alternate universe version of Jane Eyre. What if Jane Eyre had married Rochester the first time around, not knowing that he had a crazy wife in the attic? How would she go about finding out the truth, and how would her relationship with Rochester change? And it turns out my question wasn’t that far off the mark: apparently Du Maurier was inspired by Jane Eyre while she was on vacation in Egypt, of all things.
The novel’s a pleasant page-turner, because Du Maurier is uncannily adept at building characters that are either dead or seemingly inanimate. From the way others speak of Rebecca, you almost feel bad for the second wife, for Rebecca was so worldly, charming, sophisticated, and beautiful. She did everything with aplomb, from planning parties to horse riding. How could anyone else have a chance? The young wife finally breaks down halfway through the novel: “He did not belong to me at all, he belonged to Rebecca. He still thought about Rebecca. He would never love me because of Rebecca” (233). I think it’s the way Rebecca’s character can be absolutely anything and full of possibility that makes her one of the most exciting dead characters to read about.
Manderley, the estate itself, is another vivid character. While descriptions of it dangerously veer into verbose territory, Du Maurier renders every room, every part of the grounds with such careful detail that it heightened the suspense.** Also, Du Maurier sets out from the beginning that the de Winters are not able to go back there again, so you’re left wondering what’s so forbidding about the place.
My main critique of the novel, though, is with Du Maurier’s living characters, especially Maxim and the young bride. Du Maurier purposely makes the second wife young and naïve, so that she can learn to be more confident, but sometimes, she came off as too desperate to please her husband. Whenever she asks Maxim Are we happy? Oh, do say we’re happy! I kept thinking of those old-style black and white films, with the heroine in tears because her lover is surly. Maxim, too, can be irritating with his patronizing attitude. But all these details also highlight how this 1938 novel is a fascinating snapshot of a not-yet-modern England, with very different notions of gender and class roles. It was very intriguing to see how the second Mrs. de Winter negotiates her new status as the wife of an upperclass gentleman, since previously she was just a paid companion, a lady’s maid of sorts.
All in all, I enjoyed it, but I actually think the other reviews on Amazon.com over-hyped its appeal.
** When reading descriptions of Manderley, I kept thinking of the Vanderbilt’s mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Called The Breakers, it has a terrace that faces the sea as well. (Scroll down to the photographs at the bottom, the Breakers are the second and third images.) Just add some thunder, lightning, almost overgrowing hedges, and you've got Manderley!
Favorite Quote
Did she resent me and fear me as I resented her? Did she want Maxim alone in the house again? I could fight the living but I could not fight the dead. If there was some woman in London that Maxim loved, someone he wrote to, visited, dined with, slept with, I could fight with her. We would stand on common ground. I should not be afraid. Anger and jealousy were things that could be conquered. One day the woman would grow old or tired or different, and Maxim would not love her anymore. But Rebecca would never grow old. Rebecca would always be the same. And she and I could not fight. She was too strong for me (234).