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I could not have chosen a more perfect book to read in October. Even the weather accommodated me as it turned chilly and rained the last two days I was reading this book. This was my first Daphne Du Maurier read and I was very impressed. There is much to admire in this well crafted gothic tale. Du Maurier's skill in this haunting and suspenseful story reminds me very much of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I love that this novel was written in the first person. I feel that this drew me closer to the modest young bride and also that my sympathy for her throughout the book was stronger. I also noticed that the self-conscious and terribly shy young bride is never given a first name nor is she given a surname while she is still single. There is only one hint to her name as I recall and that is when she receives a piece of correspondence and she is surprised that her name is spelled correctly so we are left to speculate. Maybe her name is difficult to pronounce or spell. It was very cleverly done, and the absence of any name other than Mrs. De Winter adds to impression that she is somewhat lost. Her character remains diffident and she is easily imposed upon when she arrives at Manderley. I also admired the way Du Maurier used the landscape as characters with dark personalities of their own, for example, and I beg your indulgence here:

"Suddenly, I saw a clearing in the dark drive ahead, and a patch of sky, and in a moment the dark trees had thinned, the nameless shrubs had disappeared, and on either side of us was a wall of colour, blood-red, reaching far above our heads. We were amongst the rhododendrons. There was something bewildering, even shocking, about the suddenness of their discovery. The woods had not prepared me for them. They startled me with their crimson faces, massed one upon the other in incredible profusion, showing no leaf, no twig, nothing but the slaughterous red, luscious and fantastic, unlike any rhododendron plant I had ever seen before."

Then, "And these were monsters, rearing to the sky, massed like a battalion, too beautiful I thought, too powerful, they were not plants at all."

Great writing indeed! I love how Du Maurier uses the red rhododendrons to mirror the domineering presence and personality of Rebecca. A monster that will shock you. Too beautiful! Too powerful! You read these lines and just know that the young and timid bride is destined to be troubled at Manderley. A masterpiece! Made me wish I had a wood burning fireplace. I will definitely read more of Du Maurier's work. How could I not?