Why Did You Guys Rate This So High? I Need Answers.
This book gets three stars strictly because it was a milestone: my first classic, and my first official buddy read with Tess! It definitely taught me that I’ll need a reading partner by my side for future classics. To all my Goodreads friends who gave this a glowing review—please comment below, because Tess and I need you to explain what we missed!
Here is why this famous tale fell flat for me:
The Dialogue & Narration: The prose was incredibly rigid. The unnamed protagonist is already a completely bland character, and the audiobook narrator did absolutely nothing to help my cause. For the first two-thirds of the book, the communication between her and Maxim was painfully unnatural. Instead of a normal, full-sentence response, she relies on single-syllable “yes” or “no” answers until I wanted to kick her backside.
The “Romance”: There is a total lack of genuine connection. Tess and I both noted that while we weren’t expecting steam, Maxim clearly married this girl to be a psychological security blanket, not a romantic partner.
The Vague Plot: While Chapters 12–16 were entertaining and the pace quickens at the end, the core conflict is far too ambiguous. (Spoiler alert for a 1938 novel!) The strict morals of the era mean the exact reasons for Maxim’s intense hatred of Rebecca are left to guesswork. If Rebecca was genuinely that malicious, it makes no sense that only her husband noticed her true nature. Someone else in her circle would have picked up on it!
Final Verdict: Even the iconic Mrs. Danvers just came across as an angry, one-note character who needed a personality. Aside from a few gripping chapters, it mostly left me thinking, what did I just read? It’s heavily overrated, but sharing the experience with Tess was easily the best part.
