RebeccaRebecca
What it's about
A shy, unnamed young woman working as a paid companion in Monte Carlo meets Maxim de Winter, a wealthy, brooding widower, and within weeks she's his wife and the mistress of Manderley, his grand estate in Cornwall. But the house is haunted by the memory of his first wife, the glamorous, adored Rebecca, and by the sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, who worshipped her and resents the new Mrs. de Winter completely.
Why it's worth reading
It's a perfect gothic suspense novel, atmospheric, psychologically sharp and impossible to put down, and its opening line, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again," is among the most famous ever written. It has sold tens of millions of copies.
You'll love it if you liked
Wuthering Heights, The Woman in White or Gone Girl
Good to know
The first chapters are slow and atmospheric before the suspense builds. Don't read the ending's twists in advance.
By the numbers
- Readers84 out of 100 · counts 40%+38
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%+0
- Bestseller89 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+32
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 15%+0
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
On 2 canon lists, including PBS Great American Read. One of the best-selling books ever (about 30 million copies). 4.25★ from 778K Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #8 of the 231 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #38 of the 520 classics we rank
- #110 of the 1,405 books we rank
Bestseller
- One of the best-selling books ever (about 30 million copies)
- #1 New York Times bestseller (9 weeks at #1)
On the lists
- PBS Great American Read
- BBC's The Big Read
Reads as
Dark, Gripping, Moving
