Daphne du Maurier – Carol's Notebook

Author: Daphne du Maurier

Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, DBE (13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English author and playwright.
Although she is classed as a romantic novelist, her stories have been described as “moody and resonant” with overtones of the paranormal. Her bestselling works were not at first taken seriously by critics, but have since earned an enduring reputation for narrative craft. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories “The Birds” and “Don’t Look Now/Not After Midnight”.
Du Maurier spent much of her life in Cornwall, where most of her works are set. As her fame increased, she became more reclusive.
Her parents were the actor/manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and stage actress Muriel Beaumont, and her grandfather was the cartoonist and writer George du Maurier.

Rebecca was a re-read for me, but the last time I read it I was probably in high school. I had a basic idea of the storyline, but didn't remember a lot of the details. I honestly expected to love it, but instead I felt like I was slogging through it. The heroine is unnamed through the entire novel and it is told in the first person. I think part of the reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought was her. For the whole first half/two-thirds of the book, I wanted her to take charge of her life. Yes, she was in awe of Maxim, her new husband, and of her estate, but she was so timid and afraid and just rather annoying. That being said, it is an intense book and Rebecca is an incredibly memorable character, especially for being someone we know only through others' memories and impressions. The descriptions are detailed and atmospheric. I can appreciate...