BookishDramas

  A Treatise on "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier Introduction "Rebecca," published in 1938, is a seminal work of Gothic fiction that explores themes of identity, memory, and the haunting power of the past. Written by Daphne du Maurier, the novel has captivated readers for decades with its atmospheric storytelling and complex characters. The narrative unfolds through the perspective of an unnamed protagonist, often referred to as "the second Mrs. de Winter," who grapples with her insecurities in the shadow of her husband's deceased first wife, Rebecca. Plot Overview The story begins with the young, unnamed narrator working as a paid companion to the wealthy, older woman, Mrs. Van Hopper. While in Monte Carlo, she meets the enigmatic widower Maxim de Winter, and after a whirlwind romance, they marry and return to his estate, Manderley. However, the ghost of Rebecca looms large over their marriage. The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, is obsessively devoted to Re...

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier My rating: 5 of 5 stars What more can I add in a review of this book, arguably one of the most famous novels of the previous century, immortalized on celluloid by another legend, Alfred Hitchcock, although the latter features some sharp prudish changes to the original story. The story is a rich exploration of complexities of identity, the sheer weight of a memory, the haunting reminders and intricacies and complications of human interactions and relationships. The story contains masterful prose and the novel has an omniscient foreboding and haunting atmosphere which served to chill me despite reading a condensed version while in school, which invites readers to reflect on the ways in which the past shapes and influences the present. As a pre-eminent and seminal work of Gothic fiction, it explores themes of identity, memory, and the haunting power of the past. This is a quintessential Gothic novel and continues to resonate...

From the Back Cover On the surface a traditional "Bildungsroman" describing the narrator’s journey of self-discovery, this huge and complex book is also a panoramic and richly comic portrait of France in the author’s lifetime, and a profound meditation on the nature of art, love, time, memory and death. But for most readers it is the characters of the novel who loom the largest: Swann and Odette, Monsieur de Charlus, Morel, the Duchesse de Guermantes, Françoise, Saint-Loup and so many others — Giants, as the author calls them, immersed in Time. "In Search of Lost Time" is a novel in seven volumes. The novel began to take shape in 1909. Proust continued to work on it until his final illness in the autumn of 1922 forced him to break off. Proust established the structure early on, but even after volumes were initially finished he kept adding new material, and edited one volume after another for publication. The last three of the seven volumes contain oversights and fra...

An auspicious start as this is the first book that I am reviewing on NetGalley after procrastinating for nearly a month. A 178 year old blockbuster Alexander Dumas classic full length novel converted to manga format seemed incredible and when I saw this available here in NetGalley, I just had to have a peek. Not just a peek, have had a full read and am thankful to NetGalley for making this book available for review.  The Count of Monte Cristo has been one of my favorite classics and I have had the privilege of reading it in many formats, the classic novel, short condensed edition, comics, illustrated editions, meant for adults, teens and schools. Even then I was not very confident that the book would come out well as a manga.  The book was quite a revelation with crisp artwork and well edited to include all major key points of the book.  An elaborate revenge drama, the story at many levels is a bit dated but nothing can jade the elaborate set pieces and the way the story ...