Rebecca Read Along - Week 2 Discussion

Welcome back again to Week 2 of the Rebecca Read-Along! Our goal was to have finished the book by this week. If you are running behind, no worries. We have no deadlines here at my house...we are a happy, laid-back group! (For my brief summary of the book, and discussion on the first half of the novel, click here.) Just as a reminder, here are my friends that are joining in the read-along. You can answer the questions in comment, or link to your own post:

Michele @ Reader's Respite
Carrie @ Books and Movies
Jackie @ Farm Lane Books
Frances @ Nonsuch Book
Molly @ The Bumbles
Donna @ From Little Acorns
Another Cookie Crumbles
Alice Teh @ Hello My Name is Alice
Heidenkind's Hideaway
Susan @ Bear Swamp Reflections
April @ Good Books & Good Wine

ds @ Third-Storey Window

Kaye @ Pudgy Penguin Perusals

Kathleen @ Boarding in My Forties

Amy @ The House of Seven Tails

Paperback Reader

So how are you all feeling now, after finishing this roller-coaster ride? Personally, I was completely enamoured with this book. It reminded me of a recent meme question (Booking Through Thursdays I think!) about the most fun you've ever had reading a book. This was FUN, people. All out, heart-pounding, reading-until-the-wee-hours, top-10-books-of-all-time kind of fun. So to explore the last half of the book, where the action really gets rolling, here are some questions (spoilers occur - beware!):

1. There is a drastic change in the second Mrs. de Winter (whom I will call DW2 from hereon) mid-way through the book. Talk about what caused the transformation. How did you feel about DW2 after this happened?

DW2 grew up quickly after being played a fool by Mrs. Danvers at the ball. (OK let's all admit it...we knew what was going to happen, didn't we? You could see it coming a mile away, so shame on her.) That, combined with the discovery of Rebecca's boat on the ocean floor, gave DW2 an edge of maturity almost overnight. She was no longer intimidated by Mrs. Danvers! She began running the house with a firm hand! SHE EDITED A MENU! I thought it was quite refreshing! Nice to see the girl grow a pair! I fear, however, that down the road, this change in personality may be the marriage's undoing.

2. Although it was not explicitly discussed, what do you think was the true nature of the relationship between Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers?

I recall a scene when Mrs. Danvers was putting ALL the men in their place by telling them how Rebecca sneered at each and every one of them behind their backs, informing them that they had all been used. That is when it came into focus for me. I believe Mrs. Danvers was not only loyal to Rebecca, but was in love with her. Rebecca knew this, of course, and being the user that she was, manipulated Mrs. Danvers' emotions accordingly. The servant's emotions were way too intense for it to be any other way.


3. In the discussion questions last week, I asked how you felt about Maxim de Winter. Has your opinion changed? Why?

Once Maxim confessed his wrong-doings to DW2, he certainly did an about face in the personality department, didn't he? All of the sudden, he was loving towards DW2, physically and emotionally affectionate...all those things DW2 just knew would happen at some point. See, thing is, I'm not buying what he's selling. The bastard was just scared, and needed someone to cling to. So while I disliked the moody bi-polar Maxim in the first half of the book, this one really got my dander up. Not only that, but I started to question his ability to control his homicidal tendencies. I'm not sure I'd have turned MY back to him after that.


4. Were you satisfied with the ending? Did you have closure? Did you have to go back and re-read the beginning?

My mom (who just listened to this book on audio) and I discussed the ending recently, and she was not satisfied. She likes her endings wrapped up nicely, with a red bow on top, as many do. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised. No, there is no finality, no summary telling us what happened to all the characters, with a happily-ever-after flourish. But there is cosmic karma, just deserts, payback hell...whatever you want to call it. I like that. And the loose ends were long enough that I could grasp them and have some fun weaving my own ending.

I did have to go back and re-read the first chapter again. It helped me solidify the answer to the next question...

5. If you could write the sequel to this book, how would you envision the lives of Maxim and DW2 after the story's end? Do you think they'll be happy together?

I don't think their life after Manderley was a happy one. Maxim hinted at his discontent at the "new" DW2, the jaded one. I believe his initial attraction to DW2 was her innocence and childlike qualities, which were the antithesis to Rebecca. Once she lost that, the appeal would be gone. When you re-read the beginning, it seems he has completely shut down, and she still lives half of her life through her fantasies and imagination, fawning over what once was.

6. How would you classify this novel? Love story? Ghost story? Tragedy? Murder mystery? Some have called "Rebecca" one of the greatest gothic romances of all time. Do you agree?

I would classify this story as a gothic murder mystery. It isn't a ghost story per se, although Manderley is shrouded with the memory of Rebecca. I'm not sure if I'd call it a romance, because in my mind, there isn't much of that going on except in DW2's mind.

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There is an interesting thing that happens to me in these read-alongs. Opinions and ideas bubble to the surface as I answer my own questions. I don't always know the answer when I sit down to write. For example, I had not realized how much I didn't like Maxim until I started really thinking about it.

When I read back through my answers last week and this week, it seems that I didn't fall in love with any of the characters, so you would conclude that I didn't like the book, right? But no! I LOVED this book. Despite the characters' flaws, they seemed very real to me. The mystery and intrigue was unspooled expertly, and kept me on the edge of my chair. Du Maurier was brilliant. When I read Wuthering Heights, for example, I loathed every character, and thought the story was a trainwreck. I did not have fun reading that one. Big difference between the two, in my opinion. Now I can't wait to dive into My Cousin Rachel...


Rating?

5 out of 5 stars

Rebecca Read Along - Week 1 Discussion

Welcome to Week 1 of the Rebecca Read-along! Our goal was to read through Chapter 16 today, and then participate in a few discussion questions. Here are our friends sharing in the fun:

Michele @ Reader's Respite
Carrie @ Books and Movies
Jackie @ Farm Lane Books
Frances @ Nonsuch Book
Molly @ The Bumbles
Donna @ From Little Acorns
Another Cookie Crumbles
Alice Teh @ Hello My Name is Alice
Heidenkind's Hideaway
Susan @ Bear Swamp Reflections
April @ Good Books & Good Wine

ds @ Third-Storey Window

Kaye @ Pudgy Penguin Perusals
Kathleen @ Boarding in my Forties

Amy @ The House of Seven Tails

Paperback Reader

For those who are not reading along with us, and haven't read the book, here is the jist:

Atmospheric, gothic, eerie. A classic. A snobby social-climber's young assistant meets the dashing widower Maxim de Winter in Monte Carlo, and finds herself married and whisked off to his estate on the Cornish coast. Despite her fanciful expectations, life is not easy for her at Manderley. She finds herself forever in the shadow of her husband's elegant, beautiful, dead wife Rebecca. From Rebecca's loyal and sinister servant Mrs. Danvers, to the senile grandmother that screams Rebecca's name, there seems to exist an evil presence at Manderley. Secrets are slowly revealed, and we wonder...will Manderley ever be the same? Will Rebecca get the best of them, even from the grave?

While I have tried to make my question fairly general, spoilers may follow, so please be warned!

1. "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." This is quite possibly one of the most famous opening lines of a book. How do these words set the tone for the rest of the story?

The beginning of the book is intriguing, with the narrator reflecting, almost wistfully, back over her years at Manderley. Since I've never read the book before, I really had no clue what had taken place. What happened to the great estate? Why are they living in a hotel? What I did know was the mood felt subdued, poignant and regretful. The atmospheric quality of the writing kicked in early, which made the description of Manderley seem almost haunted. I could easily deduce that things had not gone well.



2. Du Maurier obviously chose not to name the second Mrs. de Winter (referred to as DW2 from hereon). How did this affect your perception of her?

I was probably well into Chapters 8 or 9 when I realized I didn't know DW2's name. I had to stop for awhile and wonder why Du Maurier had taken this tactic. It seemed obvious that the author wanted us to feel the same emotion as the narrator, and that was the notion that she was nameless in the overwhelming shadow of Rebecca. The narrator felt she could do nothing right, and did not fit in. She was self-described as having plain hair, plain clothes, she had no skills in social settings, she did not share the love of hunting, riding horses, golfing, and she commanded no respect from her servants. Somewhere along the line, I wondered...is she really all that bad, or does she just have really low self-esteem? Either way, perception is reality, and I began to think of her as a mousy little pushover.


3. Do you think the character of DW2 was believable?

I believe that the character was totally believable of a 21 year old girl. That doesn't mean I liked it! She was very eager to please, eager to get away from her employer, eager to be "in love", and eager to live in the estate that she has always admired from afar as a child. Never mind that Maxim talked down to her, was moody and distant. Someday he would come around and realize how much he loved her! If we have seen it once, we have seen it a thousand times.

I was also quite entertained by DW2's mental flights of fancy. True to form in an emotional immature girl, she would imagine all of the conversations the townspeople and servants were having behind her back, imagine the life that her and Maxim would have someday, imagine the gloating letters she would write to her former employer.

I was literally screaming out loud, however, when she took fashion advice from Mrs. Danvers for the ball. The woman loved Rebecca, obviously hates DW2, looks like a walking corpse...would you trust her? I hate to say it, but little Miss Innocent had that life lesson coming to her!

4. What was your first impression of Maxim de Winter? Did you like him? Did you trust him?

Like I said earlier, Maxim seemed a little bi-polar to me. Moody one minute, the next minute chatty, but never expressing too much thoughtfulness towards his new bride. I just shook my head at the willingness of DW2 to accept the lack of a formal wedding (just because HE had already gone down that road). He often treated her as a child (granted, she was, being half his age). Perhaps this was the appeal. But because we saw Maxim through the narrator's eyes, and he treated her almost dismissively, we never really got a good glimpse of his personality. I wasn't sure I liked him, but I didn't really think he was dangerous or untrustworthy. I just thought he was self-centered with a few screws loose.


How do you weigh in on these questions? Feel free to answer in the comments, or link to your own post. See you next week with Round 2!

Rebecca Read Along

A few weeks ago, I impulsively threw out an invitation for a Rebecca read-along, starting October 1st. How perfect is this? Just in time for the spookiest month of the year, and just in time for the RIP Reading Challenge! I have heard so much about this book, and frankly it has been driving me crazy that I hadn't yet read it.

We will break down our reading schedule like this:

Chapters 1 through 16: By October 8th

Chapters 17 through 27: By October 15th

I will read a wee bit ahead of you, just so I can post some thought-provoking questions on the 8th and the 15th. Take your time - these are just guidelines, but I am hoping two weeks should give plenty of time to read the book. And, if you would rather post your own review and not use my questions, that is OK too. No offense will be taken!

Here are the bloggers that expressed interest in reading along:

Michele @ Reader's Respite
Carrie @ Books and Movies
Jackie @ Farm Lane Books
Frances @ Nonsuch Book
Molly @ The Bumbles
Donna @ From Little Acorns

Another Cookie Crumbles
Alice Teh @ Hello My Name is Alice
Heidenkind's Hideaway

And two maybe's:

Jennifer @ The Literate Housewife
Gavin @ Page 247

What an excellent group! We should have some ripping, lively discussions with this crowd. If anyone else wants to join along, just leave me a comment and join the happy family. See you on the 8th!!!

Rebecca...who's in?

I recently bought this book at Sandmeyer's Book Store in Chicago, with the intent of reading it for the RIP Challenge. I just received an e-mail this evening from Molly @ The Bumbles, asking if I wanted to join her in a group reading of this book starting October 1st. Of course I said "heck yes!". I remember that a number of you have indicated a desire to read this book for RIP as well.

So...who's in? The more the merrier!