My review: 5 of 5 stars
A vivid nightmare. The imagery in Rebecca instantly envelops the reader in a shroud of apprehension. Even the author’s descriptions of the trees and shrubs speak of fear and treachery. She builds the tension so effectively that “when the telephone rang,” I jumped along with the second Mrs. de Winter. Rebecca is haunting, lyrical, sinister and beautifully written with each word chosen for maximum effect. Hitchcock made this book into a film, and it’s easy to see why. It lends itself to Hitchcock quite well. I highly recommend this book for fans of romantic suspense and mysteries. This book also won the Anthony Award for best novel of the century.
Quotes:
“We were amongst the rhododendrons…They startled me with their crimson faces, massed one upon the other in incredible profusion, showing no leaf, no twig, nothing but the slaughterous red, luscious and fantastic…” (p. 66).
“For them it was just after lunch, quarter-past-three on a haphazard afternoon, like any hour, like any day. They did not want to hold it close, imprisoned and secure, as I did. They were not afraid” (p. 104).
“No one would ever hurt Manderley. It would lie always in its hollow like an enchanted thing, guarded by the woods, safe, secure, while the sea broke and ran and came again in the little shingle bays below” (p. 363).