Rebecca

By: Daphne du Maurier

Narrated by: Anna Massey

In this classic Gothic suspense novel by Daphne du Maurier, a young woman marries a widower and discovers that more than just the memories of his deceased wife linger in their home.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

"Daphne du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings." —Stephen King

One of my favourite novels, ever

This is a great novel, and considered to be one of the best crime/thriller novels ever written. That might be surprising to some, since it's not about the police or a detective, or even really about a criminal enterprise at all, but about a young girl who marries an older, wealthier man and becomes the mistress of a large, famous, classic English manor named Manderley in the early 20th century. She is haunted by concerns that she will not live up to the perfect perception that her husband's friends, family, and staff have of the now-deceased first wife, Rebecca. The struggle of the naive, young second wife against her dynamic and powerful older husband, as well as by the imprint of his first wife still left in their home are palpable. As for the crime and the mystery? Well, it involves Rebecca's death and why she seems to still haunt the memories of everyone who lives and works at Manderley.

Exceptional Performance

This was a good story but it was made exceptional by the performance of Anna Massey. I have 200 audio books in my library and I can say that the narrator can make or break the audio experience but Anna Massey's performance was without question the best performance I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. I could not stop listening. The book was alive. I had a movie going on in my imagination. I have always been of the opinion that audio books should be matched more closely with the accents of the settings and characters. For example, if the book is set in Germany and the characters are German then then book and its characters should be read with an German accent. Unusually, I'm disappointed in this regard. However, this narration went well beyond that. It was truly extraordinary.

Loved it!

If you could sum up Rebecca in three words, what would they be?

Romantic period mystery

What other book might you compare Rebecca to and why?

Jane Eyre, The Women in White

What does Anna Massey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I'm really picky about my narrator's and one of the reasons I chose Rebecca over other books on my 'To Read' list was because of Anna Massey's narration. Her voice is very pleasant to listen to, and she brings life to each of the different characters without being distracting from the writing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book will pique your interest and make you want to keep listening.

Any additional comments?

Very worth a download if you like classic literature (Jane Eyre, any Austen novels, Wilkie Collins). It's a great story and the narrator is wonderful.

Beautifully written, but underwhelming

Took a long time for the book to get exciting....but at least it is beautifully written. Every sentence is described with words artfully chosen. Also the narration was great!

Compelling, timeless story and great narration

Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is a wonderful and timeless Gothic tale. I really enjoyed the story and the narration quality was great.