8 Stars
"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 as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. ... With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked 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.' (Taken from the back cover.)
This book is a classic read for a reason--and who knew there was a Gothic fiction out there I'd actually enjoy!? It is stunningly written, and the whole premise definitely draws you in. The main character is insecure throughout much of the book, and so she's not a comfortable person to follow; but I felt she was realistically insecure for her age and position. And that lack of confidence does drive the story a great deal. The only reason the book does not rank higher for me (and, in fact, I even considered giving it 7 Stars for this reason) is that there are lots of situations in the book that would have been frustratingly easy for the characters to resolve if they had only shown some common sense, initiative, or (not surprisingly) confidence. As I said, I think it was realistically written, but that doesn't make those "Dang it! --almost!" moments more enjoyable. Still a very worthy read that I would recommend to most!
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