Rebecca

“If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.”

Why did it take me so long to pick this up?

Very addictive book, I read almost all of it one sitting (I had previously gone through only the first chapter). I was close to giving it 5 stars, but it wasn't quite there for me though. Overaall it was suspenseful story. Not as creepy/dark as I was expecting it to be, so I was a little disappointed there. Nevertheless, I still savored it.

I also enjoyed the characters despite the fact that they're all such terrible people, including Mrs. de Winter, the second, dear God, what-a-doormat. Fun to read about though. This is what I call unlikable characters done right.

I wish I had buddy read this. It's one on those books that provides plenty material for debates. The ending made me realize the parallels Jane Eyre which ignited in me the desire to read it again.

What a beautiful and riveting book.

This book starts off almost like an homage to the classic “ex-partner” emotional baggage that many of us have experienced before in our lives. The feeling when you've just gone serious with someone special, but everyone around them seems to only look at you just to compare you with their previous long-term partner. The feeling of never being able to live up to expectations and that you're not welcome in your new partner's life. It ambles along slowly and I took about 5 days to get up to the halfway mark.

Today, when I finally got up to about halfway and a major event happens (Mrs. Danver's bitchiness at the fancy dress ball), I had an inkling that things were coming to a head. And, boy, was I right. The second half of the book simply flew by and I refused to do anything else but sit and finish it. If the first half of the book read like a slow and abstract stroll through a patch of woods that you can't decide was more sorrowful, beautiful, or sinister, the second half of the book is when you realise you're not in Kansas anymore.