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Matthew's Reviews > Rebecca
Rebecca
by
by
Matthew's review
bookshelves: 2017, audio, classic, book-a-book-club, library, mystery, suspense, favorites
Mar 15, 2017
bookshelves: 2017, audio, classic, book-a-book-club, library, mystery, suspense, favorites
This has to be one of the best and most complete books I have ever read. Each element - plot, characters, twists, suspense, climax - all of it, perfect! If I had one criticism, it might be a slightly slow start, but with the awesome payoff, that is hardly worth mentioning.
The plot - I have to be honest, I judged a book by its cover and title. I thought, okay, "Rebecca", an elegant woman, a curly font, probably another cheesy classic romance. I'll read it because it is one you are supposed to read, but I doubt I will think it is great. I have never been so wrong. Mystery, intrigue, deception, subterfuge, twists, turns, misunderstandings, accusations, threats, etc. etc. etc. So much is happening in this story, and it is great!
The characters - each character plays their part very well. Because of the nature of the plot, you may not quite ever be sure who some of them really are - and, perhaps, you will be left to make some judgements on your own. Also, this book has two characters that are the essence of love to hate - one because they are a total a-hole, and the other because they are creepy as hell! I don't know what it is, but I often feel like authors frequently have a hard time getting easily hateable characters right. That is far from the case here - they are perfect!
Suspense and Mystery - I will keep this short to avoid spoilers. This book has about 7 big climaxes/revelations. Every second between those will have you on the edge of your seat. Others will catch you completely off guard. I can guarantee you will catch yourself holding your breath.
So, in summary, I loved it! It was great! Read it! Don't be like me and think "meh, a classic named Rebecca - probably boring" It is not! It is awesome!
The plot - I have to be honest, I judged a book by its cover and title. I thought, okay, "Rebecca", an elegant woman, a curly font, probably another cheesy classic romance. I'll read it because it is one you are supposed to read, but I doubt I will think it is great. I have never been so wrong. Mystery, intrigue, deception, subterfuge, twists, turns, misunderstandings, accusations, threats, etc. etc. etc. So much is happening in this story, and it is great!
The characters - each character plays their part very well. Because of the nature of the plot, you may not quite ever be sure who some of them really are - and, perhaps, you will be left to make some judgements on your own. Also, this book has two characters that are the essence of love to hate - one because they are a total a-hole, and the other because they are creepy as hell! I don't know what it is, but I often feel like authors frequently have a hard time getting easily hateable characters right. That is far from the case here - they are perfect!
Suspense and Mystery - I will keep this short to avoid spoilers. This book has about 7 big climaxes/revelations. Every second between those will have you on the edge of your seat. Others will catch you completely off guard. I can guarantee you will catch yourself holding your breath.
So, in summary, I loved it! It was great! Read it! Don't be like me and think "meh, a classic named Rebecca - probably boring" It is not! It is awesome!
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Reading Progress
March 15, 2017
– Shelved as:
to-read
March 15, 2017
– Shelved
November 29, 2017
–
Started Reading
November 29, 2017
– Shelved as:
2017
November 29, 2017
– Shelved as:
audio
November 29, 2017
– Shelved as:
classic
November 29, 2017
– Shelved as:
book-a-book-club
November 29, 2017
– Shelved as:
library
December 9, 2017
– Shelved as:
mystery
December 9, 2017
– Shelved as:
suspense
December 9, 2017
– Shelved as:
favorites
December 9, 2017
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 136 (136 new)
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Scarlett
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Dec 09, 2017 02:41PM
Oh now I am so excited to read it! It's been on my shelf for ages.....
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So glad you liked this one! Now you'll have to watch the movie!
great review, I've got to read this
Great review Matthew! I thought the same and was way more surprised with how much I loved this book. Glad you finally read it!
Great review. I try and read this book once a year. It is one of the best classics.
I read it many years ago, after watching the wonderful adaptation with Laurence Olivier. Brilliant book, indeed.
Same for me Matthew! Just loved it! Wonderful review!
terrific review Matthew!! I should really get to this at some point
Fabulous review, Matthew! I loved this the first time I read it, but it was a long time ago and have it on my list to re-read. Your terrific review is a timely reminder to get this scheduled in for next year! :)
I love that you were so surprised by this book & enjoyed it so much! Don't you love when that happens?!
Great review of this well loved classic. I found myself even more captivated on a second reading - those scarlet rhododendron hedges are imprinted on my brain!
Top marks for this review! Also LOVED this book 💕
I kind of want to read it again! The audio book is fantastic! Definitely had some holding my breath moments!
Ohhh, I'm so glad you liked it, one of my favorites. I first read it many, many years ago, then re-read it recently, it really stands the test of time.
Great review. Glad you loved it. I read years ago and need to read again to see if I see things differently. Loved it then.
Holy cow! I posted this on my way to a Christmas party last night and haven't been able to check in much until now - lots of responses! Gonna take a bit to catch up! 😃
Scarlett wrote: "Oh now I am so excited to read it! It's been on my shelf for ages....."You should be! Shake that hesitation away! 😁
Holly wrote: "So glad you liked this one! Now you'll have to watch the movie!"Yes! And, I see that BBC did a miniseries this year that is available on PBS.
Lyn wrote: "great review, I've got to read this"Thanks, Lyn! I hope you enjoy, too, when you do!
Ginger wrote: "Great review Matthew! I thought the same and was way more surprised with how much I loved this book. Glad you finally read it!"Thanks, Ginger! Such a very pleasant surprise!😃😃😃😃😃😃
Glad to hear your thoughts on this one. I thought the exact same thing when I heard of it, I thought "ugh, it's called Rebecca, it's probably booooriiiiing" - boy, did it prove me wrong!
Alan wrote: "Great review. I try and read this book once a year. It is one of the best classics."Thanks! I can see this one being a re-read for me in a few years.
Bianca wrote: "I read it many years ago, after watching the wonderful adaptation with Laurence Olivier. Brilliant book, indeed."Yes - now I want to watch all the adaptations!
Karen❄️ wrote: "Same for me Matthew! Just loved it! Wonderful review!"Thank you, Karen! 😊😊😊
Won Anthony Award for Best NOVEL OF THE CENTURY! Now that's an award!
Svetlana wrote: "terrific review Matthew!! I should really get to this at some point"Thank you so much! Yes - I think you will be satisfied with the experience when you do!
Jaline wrote: "Fabulous review, Matthew! I loved this the first time I read it, but it was a long time ago and have it on my list to re-read. Your terrific review is a timely reminder to get this scheduled in for..."Thank you! And, now you know you are guaranteed a least one awesome book in 2018!
Terris wrote: "I love that you were so surprised by this book & enjoyed it so much! Don't you love when that happens?!"I do - so pleased with this experience! One of my top 5 book experiences of 2017! Makes me think I should list my top 5 experiences when I do my 2017 year in review.
Renata wrote: "Great review of this well loved classic. I found myself even more captivated on a second reading - those scarlet rhododendron hedges are imprinted on my brain!"Thank you! Yes, there are many moments from this one that will stick with me.
Vanessa wrote: "Top marks for this review! Also LOVED this book 💕"Thank you, Vanessa! 😃😃😃😃
Diane wrote: "Nice review, Matthew!"Thanks, Diane! 😁😁😁
Sarah wrote: "I kind of want to read it again! The audio book is fantastic! Definitely had some holding my breath moments!"Yes - the audiobook was awesome. The narrator did all the voices perfectly.
Great review, Matthew. I agree, it’s such a fantastic book, from the opening line to Mrs. Danvers, it doesn’t miss a beat!
Well said, Matthew. This book was deliciously creepy and well written. But I would not categorize it as "romantic suspense."
Ioana wrote: "Ohhh, I'm so glad you liked it, one of my favorites. I first read it many, many years ago, then re-read it recently, it really stands the test of time."Very true - there are shine details specific to the time period, but the general story and plot can easily fall under any time period.
Charlotte wrote: "Great review. Glad you loved it. I read years ago and need to read again to see if I see things differently. Loved it then."Thanks, Charlotte! Hope you enjoy it as much the second time around.
Emma wrote: "Glad to hear your thoughts on this one. I thought the exact same thing when I heard of it, I thought "ugh, it's called Rebecca, it's probably booooriiiiing" - boy, did it prove me wrong!"Ha! Glad it's not just me!
Stephen wrote: "Won Anthony Award for Best NOVEL OF THE CENTURY! Now that's an award!"Well, that says it all right there!
Completely agree with you here. Check out the Hitchcock movie, too, if you can. It’s fantastic as well!
Rachael wrote: "Great review, Matthew. I agree, it’s such a fantastic book, from the opening line to Mrs. Danvers, it doesn’t miss a beat!"Thanks! Oh, man! Mrs. Danvers. One of the creepiest characters ever!
Jen wrote: "Awesome review, Matthew!! 😃"Thank you, Jen!
Great review! I read it for the first time a few months ago, and I love it! Rebecca is an instant favorite!
Great review! I loved this as a listen - the audio narration was excellent, it really added to the suspense, and creepiness. The way she voiced the main character obsessively repeating "Rebecca" over and over, it was perfect! I could not put this one down!
Great review, exactly how I experienced it too.
Good review. I agree with your comments, except I was not pleased with the ending. My mother pressed this on me a few months ago, couldn't believe I'd never read it. Now she wants me to read DuMaurier's _My Cousin Rachel_, says it's just as good.
Marisa wrote: "Well said, Matthew. This book was deliciously creepy and well written. But I would not categorize it as "romantic suspense.""Thanks! It is interesting to see so many filing this book under romance. There really isn't any romance in it - just that two people meet, get married, and the skeletons of the last relationship get in the way. I think anyone looking for romance, passion, etc. would go away disappointed.
Justin wrote: "Completely agree with you here. Check out the Hitchcock movie, too, if you can. It’s fantastic as well!"I tried to find it on some of the various streaming channels and could only find the new BBC miniseries. Might need to track down the DVD - I think my wife got it from the library last year.
Lynn wrote: "Great review! I read it for the first time a few months ago, and I love it! Rebecca is an instant favorite!"Thank you, Lynn! 😃
Matthew wrote: "It is interesting to see so many filing this book under romance. There really isn't any romance in it - just that two people meet, get married, and the skeletons of the last relationship get in the way. I think anyone looking for romance, passion, etc. would go away disappointed. "I agree, definitely not a romance novel. But a great one, maybe just because it's not a romance one :-)
