Rebecca

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” ― Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca

4**** This is not a short book, and yet very little actually happens. There is a fair amount of fuss made about the mystery of this novel, and I was, on that front, rather disappointed. However, on a whole, it never felt boring to me. I think it is a credit to Du Maurier's writing ability that she was able to make a classic out of a rather sedate sort of tale. I won't go into plot details, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but the story follows the second wife of Maxim de Winter (curiously only ever named as Mrs. de Winter) as she becomes the new mistress of Manderley. She soon realizes all is not as it seems, and that the staff, Maxim and particularly the eerie housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, have something they are trying to conceal about Rebecca, Maxim's first wife. The style of writing really drew me in almost instantly, and though the mystery wasn't a huge shock to me, I didn't really mind, because the book, for me, was really about the characters and the setting of Manderley. Definitely worthwhile!