Book Review: Rebecca

REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier
Originally published by Victor Gollancz in 1938
My copy was published by Doubleday & Company in 1961
Format: bound novel & audiobook



Intended Audience: Adult
Genre: Gothic romance with a dash of mystery thrown in
Themes: self-doubt, self-discovery, jealousy, loyalty, love, hate
Rating: 3-1/2 out of 5 stars

Summary
Our unnamed narrator marries Maxim de Winter, a widower. Though she loves him, she feels he will never truly love her because she cannot measure up to his former wife and true love, Rebecca. She constantly lives in Rebecca's shadow.

First Line: Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.


Review
I was a good way into the book before I felt invested in the story and characters. The pacing at the beginning is very slow, although it does use the time well by establishing the setting and our narrator's character. She's full of self-doubt before she marries Maxim, a man many years her senior and in a much higher station in life. Entering his world only magnifies her feelings of inferiority and unworthiness, although to be fair to her, she doesn't have a support system. She is almost entirely alone.

As soon as she moves into Manderley (his estate), she knows she'll never be the real mistress of the house because it is still Rebecca's. The servants loved Rebecca and were devoted to her, especially Mrs. Danvers, who takes it upon herself to feed the new Mrs. de Winter's insecurities.

I felt I really knew who Mrs. de Winter and Mrs. Danvers were. I understood their motivations and thoughts, even if they both got on my nerves in their own ways. I would've liked Maxim's character to have been developed more fully in the beginning since he's rarely seen in the middle section, although I suppose it was necessary in order for the ending to be revealed. But I wanted to experience them fall in love, and I feel robbed that I didn't. I understand why his new bride felt he didn't love her.

Once the plot finally picks up, it takes a hold of you and doesn't let you know until the end. About the ending...WOW. I did not see that coming. This is definitely a different book the second time you read it. Your perspective is completely different. While I understand the end, I would not have made some of the same choices.

Do I recommend this book? Yes. Will I read it again? Yes, maybe once or twice in a few years. Why only 3-1/2 stars? Because the beginning was so slow (an odd complaint from someone whose favorite book is Pride & Prejudice). I kept stopping and starting. I finally switched to an audio version so I couldn't stop reading by putting the book down.

Do you want another opinion? You can read this review and many others at goodreads.com.

Book Challenges
The TwentyEleven Challenge from Bart's Bookshelf (Category: Way Back When)

Book Review: How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon, by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, translated from the Old Norse by Cressida Cowell

#1 in a series
Published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hatchett Book Group , in February 2000

Format: audiobook (abridged: 3-1/2 hours)

Intended Audience: Middle Grades

Themes: Friendship, Kindness, Courage
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First Line: “A note from the author: there were dragons when I was boy. …You’ll have to take my word for it, for the dragons are disappearing so fast, they may soon become extinct.”

Summary: Toothless, Hiccup's dragon, is whiny and self-centered and refuses to be trained. Hiccup is a failure at everything, but if he doesn't train his dragon in four months, he won't become a Viking and will be kicked out of his tribe.

REVIEW
I originally chose to read this book because I really enjoyed the movie. (Note: This book is nothing like the movie.) While I usually never read an abridged book, I chose to listen to this version because David Tennant is the narrator, and I LOVE David Tennant and his wonderful Scottish accent. He does an absolutely fabulous job. I can imagine him sitting around a camp fire surrounded by a bunch of entranced kids as he tells this story.

I'm not sure how it was shortened, (the unabridged version is an hour longer), but I really liked this book. I was confused at first because it didn't follow the movie's story line, but I quickly let go of my expectations and appreciated it for the adventure it is.

While this is a middle grades read, it isn't a dumbed down story. The characters and setting are well-developed. This is a great read. It's funny and entertaining. You feel sorry for Hiccup because his situation is so hopeless. But it has a fantastic, feel-good ending. This book may be targeted to boys, but I think girls will like it to. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go buy this book. I have nephews to read to.

Do you want another point of view? Check out reviews of this book at goodreads.com

Book Challenge

2011 Audiobook Challenge by Teresa's Reading Corner

Randomly Asked Questions 1/17/11

I was doing a "Five Random Questions" post, and I discovered I was posting them on dates that had a 7 in them, so I'm changing this up just a little. First, I'm changing the title to "Randomly Asked Questions." Then, three times a month, on the 7th, 17th, and 27th, I'll post answers to 7 questions I find randomly on the internet.  Here's today's edition:

1. How many nicknames do you have?
Just one, Sus. It's what my soon-to-be ex-husband used to call me. It was usually when he needed something, so he'd say, "Hey, Sus, can you..." It always sounded like he we was calling for some Mexican guy (Jesus) instead of me. My brother will call me Sus occasionally, but mostly people just call me Susanne.

2. How many e-mail addresses do you have?
Five, I think. 1) family and friends; 2) social networking; 3) finance/bills; 4) junk; 5)...nope, just four.

3. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?
Late. It's a habit I truly dislike in myself. I'm trying to change it. It's one of my goals for the year.

4. Who do you envy?
There are many people I envy, mostly because they seem to have it together while I feel like I'm floundering. I have many friends who are younger than me (I'm 36), have children (I have none), a husband (I'm getting divorced), and a job (I do have a good job I enjoy, so that's a plus), and they still have an immaculately clean house (I hate cleaning because it never ends) and prepare a home-cooked meal every night (I love cooking, but I have I mentioned I hate cleaning up afterwards).

5. Do you have freckles?
Yes, but surprisingly, the darker ones on my face are lightening up. That's probably because I haven't been to beach in YEARS. I love listening to the ocean waves as they lap up on the shore, but I don't like just sitting on the beach getting hot. I blame this on MS. I also used to love HOT showers, but my MS flares up when I get hot, so now I can't stand them. (Did any else say those last four words like Jean Hagen in "Singing in the Rain"? No? Just me?)

6. Can you do a cartwheel?
No. Never have.

7. How do you like your steak cooked?
Medium rare -- lightly pink in the middle.

Book Review: How I Killed Pluto & Why It Had It Coming

HOW I KILLED PLUTO AND WHY IT HAD IT COMING by Mike Brown

Published by Spiegel & Grau, a division of Random House, in Dec. 2010

Formats: traditional (256 pages), audiobook (7hrs 48min)

Genre: non-fiction, science

Themes: astronomy, family

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Brief Summary: The story of how Mike Brown's search for "planets" beyond Pluto led to Pluto's demotion from planet to dwarf planet (which isn't really a planet at all).

Language: no curse words

REVIEW

Mike Brown does a fantastic job of interweaving the story of his search for large astronomical bodies beyond Pluto with his family life. There's suspense (bad guys trying to steal planets), humor (Mike graphing his newborn daughter's eating and sleeping habits), science (explained so a person of average intelligence can understand it), and controversy (Pluto was kicked out of the planetary fraternity with more than a little discussion). I found it fascinating to discover that the number of accepted planets has fluctuated many times.

The only complaints I've seen about the book focus on the fact that it's not just about Pluto, Eris' discovery, and science. Go into your reading of this book with your eyes open. It's also about several large planetoids he's found, which, for me, helps put things in perspective. It includes a little bit of his childhood. He talks about his wife and child. This isn't really Pluto's story. It's Mike Brown's story and how his discoveries and the question "what is a planet?" resulted in Pluto's demotion.

This was an incredibly fun & informative read and listen. After I borrowed the book from the library, I not only bought a hardbound copy, I purchased an audiobook version too. The narrator did a great job. I recommend this book to everyone.

Do you want another point of view? Check out reviews of this book on goodreads.com

Book Challenges

2011 Audiobook Challenge by Teresa's Reading Corner

2011 Non-Fiction Challenge by The Broke and The Bookish (Category: Science/Nature)