The story of ‘Rebecca’ is set in Cornwall and is related to the reader in a narrative format where the heroine of the novel,
the second Mrs de Winter (her first name is never revealed), recalls her time in Manderley, her husband’s Cornish estate, in the form of memory flashbacks, as the then new wife of widower, Maxim de Winter.
I have read this novel several times and each time you read this book it just seems to get better. The novel will appeal to the majority of readers who like crime and
thriller novels. The underlying edge to this story is that of a crime mystery thriller with a gothic and
psychological element to the story and incredibly atmospheric. As with all good crime thrillers there is the incredibly fiendish Mrs Danvers, the domineering housekeeper, who is determined to do anything she can to destroy the new Mrs de Winter.
What this story depicts is the hold that someone can have over a place and people even after their death, ‘Rebecca’ having been an incredibly manipulative woman who drove her husband to kill her, and the incredibly evil Mrs Danvers who will stop at nothing to ruin the lives of those who do not share her memory and passion for the dead ‘Rebecca’. You also get the feeling that this novel is also about loss and longing for the past as the opening line of the book reads "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again".
The ending is incredibly dramatic when the de Winters’ return to their home, Manderley, to find it engulfed in flames, the fire supposedly started by the villainous Mrs Danvers. As for what happens to the de Winters’ in the end can only be guessed at, but it would seem that they choose to live a kind of exile existence abroad following the murder allegations and catastrophic fire.
‘Rebecca’ is a truly enjoyable murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first word to the conclusion and is a novel I would highly recommend to anyone. If you have ever seen a film or television version of this story read the book, I promise you, you will not regret it.
For those of you who have read ‘Rebecca’ you may be interested to know that there was a sequel written in 1980 entitled ‘Mrs de Winter’. Once I get a chance to read this I will review it but please remember that if you do read the sequel, bear in mind that it was written by a different author many years later.