Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

 Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier-- 448 pages

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . ."

"The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's travel companion, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave." (Goodreads)

I approached this book entirely out of order. I watched the 2020 version on NetFlix last summer. Then I watched the presumably much better 1940 Hitchcock version on YouTube. Finally, I read the book! It can drag on in parts but it was definitely worth the read. I enjoyed the book very much. Rebecca, who has been dead for a year when the story begins, is still very much a main character in this book. Manderley, the de Winter ancestral mansion, is a character all its own. Things are not always as they appear at Manderley, that much is for certain.  If you are interested in a bit of a dark, brooding Gothic piece, check out Rebecca.