Rebecca
Decide its fate
The record
Time
An eveningA season386 pages, about 8 hours: the length of 1.2 typical books on the shelf.
Getting in
Walk right inSteep climbTwo readers report a slow opening before Manderley; the book begins with the narrator’s courtship by Maxim de Winter in Monte Carlo.
What it gives
Plot and actionIdeas to live byIn 18 reviews from critics and book blogs, 12 credit the plot and 5 credit the ideas or a change in how they live.
One of a kind
Others do thisNothing else doesA 1938 review in The Lincoln Daily Star calls Jane Eyre, on the shelf at 480 pages, the first and inevitable comparison.
The case for it
on Frank Crawley
“about the only character I unreservedly liked in the book”
a book blog on the atmosphere
“the evil that seems to be lurking at Manderley”
a book blog on Mrs Danvers
“the page crackles in anticipation every time she appears on it”
five stars · a book blog on the imagery
“I was very quickly pulled in by the lush imagery she painted when describing Manderley”
five stars · a book blog
The case against
on the slow build
“Expect a slow, meandering pace when reading Rebecca.”
five stars · a book blog on the narrator
“socially awkward, clumsy and naive”
a Substack review on the repetition
“I was kind of annoyed of the repetitiveness”
five stars · a Substack review on the pace
“If you prefer fast-paced plots, this might feel slow at times”
five stars · a book blog
