geoffreydail

great book. annoying - because the heroine is so overly uncertain of herself and thus everthing becomes meaning- and hurtful. again annoying - because of that husband of hers - he's not much better. never says what's wrong which in turn obviously leads to wrong conclusions making it hard for everyone. scary - that scary housekeeper, well. just plain mad and - indeed - scary. nothing much happens but a bit of psycho power-play but that's enough to be - i say it again - scary. manipulation can be so easy. there's a lot of tension build-up, as everything is written from the heroine's point of view. so expect fanciful flights of imagination as to what could happen, might have happened etc. - some deflated, some not so, some just left hanging. that was really good. there was no way out for her nor for the reader who asked him/herself similar questions or at least empathised with the heroine. the later turning point when the heroine changes is a bit sad really in hindsight. at first, i rejoiced thinking that finally she made it and found herself but then again, for her needing that to become this way is so so sad. so much dependence really hurts. so much insecurity really hurts, especially if you have a tiny smattering of self doubt once in a while. also, at the beginning, maxim de winter seems quite nice but upon finishing the book i am not sure that man is a good catch, (besides being rich) he's got some issues. really, he does. the heroine as well as outlined above already, she's a tad too submissive (but then it is still her choice). at the same time, independent rebecca - the exact opposite of her is not the "good one" either (however much the afterword in my edition suggests that). two things at the end: first, this is a great book to analyse in literature classes. and i'm sure it's being used loads. second: assumption is a certain ingredient for failure - and a great story.

2022-11-14 13:55