This was my book group read for January and we decided to do a classic once again and as is often the case realised why this book is a classic as we all agreed that the writing is sublime. Rebecca, though daring for its time is quite dated to our modern eyes in attitudes towards class and gender. We find it shocking that a young innocent girl would agree to marry a much older wealthy man after only a few days courtship, but this was maybe more common in an era when women had few choices for their life paths and even fewer choices for making a living without a man.
The mystery of what happened to Mr de Winter’s first wife, Rebecca is unravelled by the unnamed second wife, who constantly puts herself down and imagines herself as a poor replacement in everyone’s eyes for Rebecca. Her task is made harder by the deranged and unpleasant housekeeper who idolised her late mistress, and the distant and patronising husband who basically tells her not to worry about thinking, dear, just go and get some new dresses or something (I found him quite unlikeable!)
Nevertheless, the denouement is quite exciting and gothic, and the style is very evocative of the grandeur of the lives of the aristocracy of the period.
Sarah Wray Writer 