On the Back: "'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...' With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired when she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room in the immense, foreboding house were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten--a past devotedly perserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walks in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife--the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca."
My Thoughts: I think my main problem with this book was the main character. She was awful! She acts like she's 16 instead of 21. Actually I've read books with 14 year olds more mature than she is. I mean who runs away when people come to their house? Or breaks something and then hides it?? In their own house! She just acts like a child. She is a huge pushover, so insecure, tries way too hard to please everyone, has no backbone... I don't know if the intent was to make the reader feel bad for her or what, but I just found her annoying.
[More ranting.] She cares way too much about what
everyone thinks of her. She over analyzes everything! Maxim has a
strange look in his eye and suddenly she's made up this whole
ridiculous senario in her head about what he could possibly be thinking
about. And it's usually bad. She just makes everything out to be so
much worse than it actually is.
Never in a million years would I
call this a romance! Their relationship was too weird! I honestly
don't understand why they would ever love each other. I mean the
thing that finally brought them together was just bizarre! I was not
impressed. The only really saving grace of this novel is the plot.
It is really well written and there definitely are some twists and
turns in the plot with some suspense. The last hundred pages were my
favorite. So the story was definitely good, but the immaturity of the main character (who doesn't even have a name btw) just ruined it for me.
Favorite Quotes: "I am glad it cannot happen twice, the
fever of first love. For it is a fever, and a burden, too, whatever
the poets may say."
"Happiness is not a possession to be
prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind."
Overall Rating: 2/5