DAPHNE
DU MAURIER - REBECCA
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Written before World War II, Rebecca is rightly regarded as a classic novel. Championed by Alan Titchmarsh as Britain's Best Read during the recent BBC poll on the subject, this is a tight knit story that takes the reader into the world of paranoia with a steady grip on the arm.
The
Rebecca of the title is dead, killed in a sailing accident. This
leaves the way open for her millionaire husband, Maximillian de Winter,
free to marry a naive young girl of no name - well, of a name that the
reader never discovers.
Once
hitched, the couple head for Max' fabulous country estate, Manderley,
where the young wife discovers - or rather, begins to believe - that
she has married above her station and that the place is 'haunted' by
the memory of the seemingly perfect former Mistress of the house.
This
is a novel based on the author needing to create empathy for
the young bride. Without this emotion being wrung out of the reader
at every turn, the book will fail to stir you. If you think, even for
a moment, that she's nothing more than a silly young girl, du Maurier
can be seen to have failed.
However,
if the reader places him or herself in the exact same position as to
that of the bride and find themselves agreeing with, or at least understanding,
her decisions then I guarantee that the pages will flick by.
It's
written from a position of strength, as du Maurier was trapped in an
unhappy marriage from a young age herself and turned to writing as a
form of escape. Rebecca was written whilst her family home was
in the Cornwall in which the novel is set, though was put together whilst
she was forced to live in Africa at her husband's side. As a result,
some of the description can be said to be heavy, fanciful and relies
a little too heavily on trying to sell the place to the reader, with
du Maurier almost writing it as a travelogue in places. But none
the less, if you like tense melodrama, then you'll be hard pushed to
beat it.
Of
course, it's up to you whether you agree or not. If you don't, why not
let me know at the Feedback link on the Home page.
Happy Reading,
Chris !!
Order this book online - Linghams Booksellers
break the rules as I see fit.” - Chris High 2003.