Rebecca

Scott County Library audiobook
read by
genre

Warning: This is very stream-of-consciousness style . . . with the added disruptions of chunks of time. Due to Covid-19, I'm in my car less often. After I drive and listen, I make notes and blog. Choppy, but it's an experiment. We'll see how it turns out . . .



It's so odd! I've heard references to this book for much of my life and now that I'm finally reading it, it's not at all like I thought it would be.

The narrator is a young woman, but not Rebecca. Rebecca is dead. She was Max deWinter's first wife. Manderly, the family estate, is like a character. Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, is sinister.

Mrs. Van Hopper is painfully rude and insensitive.In a way, she was comic relief. But she's out of the story after the first handful of chapters.

I have a scrap of paper that says, "The education of an indifferent pupil taught at a second rate school." I'm not sure if Mrs. Van Hopper said that about our narrator or if the narrator referenced herself that way in comparing her hand writing to Rebecca's.

Our narrator is young and clumsy. She spends a lot of time daydreaming and imagining different scenarios. She needs to get out of her head and live her life! Her insecurity makes it too easy for Mrs. Danvers to intimidate her.

Symbolism abounds! The bitter tangerine. Rebecca's handwriting, especially the oversize R that dwarfs the other letters. When the narrator cuts out the page from the poetry book (Max, from Rebecca), then tears it up into little pieces, then burns it . . . but it is still imprinted on her memory. Wow!

Words to describe parts of this book: ominous, foreboding, mysterious, danger . . .

Rebecca's presence - the oversize R, the morning room, people's attitude toward her . . . palpable. What really happened?

The second time our narrator encounters the dim-witted Ben at the cottage . . . she is so clueless! Of course he's referring to Rebecca! Who else? The mystery grows more deep.

Our narrator is too much in her own head! She overthinks things and imagines what others are thinking. I almost laughed when she imagined what Max was thinking and then when she asked him point blank, he replied he was thinking about sports teams. It made me think of a story I read once about a woman tormenting herself about her husband's silence . . . and he's actually just thinking about his motorcycle.Meanwhile, our narrator is certain he's thinking of the china Cupid that was given as a wedding gift to him and Rebecca.

The more I hear about Rebecca and the kind of person she really was, the more I dislike her. Mrs. Danvers is absolute poison! I cannot believe that our narrator actually listens to her!

The blackface / monkey comment (in preparation for the masked ball) really startled me. Rebecca was written in 1938, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But it was jarring to hear it.

Commentary on men's minds and women's thoughts . . . again, from a different era. Yet aren't we having some of those same issues and conversations now? I believe men and women do think differently.

She actually took Mrs. Danver's advice about the white dress. . . how could she possibly not suspect her of having cruel motives? Even before the dress ball, I was shouting at her. "Don't trust Mrs. Danvers!" This book is crazy-making.

"Nothing to do with me." "Not my affair." She's getting tedious! Get over yourself and your insecurities! Stand up for yourself! BE stronger! Just do it!

Maxim's confession. Oh! I'm glad he finally shared his truth. Rebecca "made" Manderly. A lot happened in 24 hours. She (our narrator) can be so useless! She's so bad about conversations. What a dud! Then she has a real conversation with Frith . . . Comfort your husband! Punch Favel. Kick him out! He is so rude and so awful. They just take it!

Comparisons of characters to dogs and being petted on the head. Weird.

Newspapers / sensationalism / skewed perspective / Bea and Giles.

Suspense . . . I want to know what happens!

Dr. Baker visit. I was expecting pregnancy! (Max's baby or Favel's?) But it was an inoperable tumor. Rebecca had a malformed uterus and no chance of pregnancy. That was unexpected! I was sure she'd either had an abortion or Max had killed his heir along with his wife. Favel asking if cancer is contagious. What an idiot!

"The End." What?!?!?! Manderly is on fire. Did the other servants get out? Does Mrs. Danvers get caught? What the heck kind of an ending is this for a book?!

At least now I'll have a better understanding when I hear allusions to Rebecca. I'm not a fan.