Rebecca
With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.
Themes & atmosphere
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Where Rebecca keeps showing up
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What you might want to know about Rebecca
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A shy young companion in Monte Carlo marries the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter and arrives at his Cornish estate, Manderley. The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, has not let go of the first Mrs. de Winter.
Yes, multiple times. Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. A 2020 Netflix adaptation directed by Ben Wheatley starring Lily James and Armie Hammer also exists. The Hitchcock version is widely considered the definitive adaptation.
Yes. Rebecca is gothic suspense, with mounting unease about Mr. de Winter's first wife. The novel set the template for many later domestic thrillers and modern psychological-suspense conventions.
Rebecca was written by Daphne du Maurier, published in 1938 by Pan.
Rebecca is 386 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Rebecca takes most readers 6 to 8 hours to finish.
Rebecca is a standalone novel by Daphne du Maurier, not part of a series.
Rebecca is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.