It’s no wonder Alfred Hitchcock adapted Rebecca for the silver screen.

Daphne du Maurier’s gothic tale of horror follows the tumultuous relationship between Maxim de Winter and his second, much younger, wife, whom he meets while virtually escaping the memories he has of his home in England, Manderley.

Maxim quickly marries his young bride and whisks her away to Manderley from Monte Carlo, where she is a paid companion to Mrs. Van Hopper.

Only the second Mrs. de Winter does not find herself welcome at the estate, especially by the private maid to Maxim’s dead first wife, Rebecca, and house manager, Mrs. Danvers.

Mrs. Danvers is very creepy, showing up at the oddest of times.

du Maurier’s description of Mrs. Danvers is enough to scare the hell out of me.

The newest Mrs. de Winter soon feels that Maxim doesn’t truly love her, as she firmly believes he is obsessed with the deceased Rebecca, who holds power over Mr. and Mrs. de Winter’s relationship from beyond her watery grave.

After much heartache and humiliation, Mrs. de Winter ultimately wins Maxim’s love and trust upon their becoming forever bound by a secret that comes to light months after the marriage.

The only thing I will say bothered me about this book, and it’s most likely because of the time in which it was written, but there is a minor character, Ben, who is described as a ‘half-wit’ and other derogatory terms.

Normally, I could overlook details like that description, but since my brother is autistic, I am especially sensitive to material regarding the mentally challenged.

However, Rebecca gets a resounding five stars for its amazing story and character development.

I cannot wait to watch Hitchcock’s take on the novel!

Five [resounding] Stars

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 30 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.