It’ll all come out in the end anyway.
Who wrote this book and when?
Daphne du Maurier, a female British author, published this novel in 1938.
Has there been a film version?
There is an Oscar winning film version which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940. However, the end of the story is slightly altered to be more morally pleasing. There has also been a BBC Masterpiece theater miniseries in 1998/99, and a musical version will premiere in September in Vienna, Austria.
Who are the main characters?
Mrs. de Winter – the second wife of Mr. de Winter, she is significantly younger than him and haunted by the thought of his first wife, Rebecca; she is never named in any way other than Mrs. de Winter
Maximillian “Maxim” de Winter – the master of Manderley estate, widowed, and haunted somewhat by his past
Rebecca de Winter – the first mistress of Manderley, beloved by nearly everyone
Mrs. Danvers – the head housekeeper at Manderley, formerly Rebecca’s private maid and confidant, she hates the new Mrs. de Winter.
Frank Crawley – the de Winter’s agent
Giles and Beatrice – Maxim’s brother in law and sister
Frith – the head butler
Colonel Julyan – the town magistrate
Favell – Rebecca’s cousin
What’s it about?
We meet the nearly nameless narrator as she tells us about a dream she had about a place named Manderley. She gives us very little information other than that Manderley is a very beautiful place, but she and her husband can never return. We also are told that her husband is haunted by some memory which she must be careful not to talk about.
From here, we are told the story of the de Winters, the mistresses of Manderley, the new and the old. And the terrible secret which binds them both to Maximillian de Winter, to Manderley, and to the eerie and devoted Mrs. Danvers.
Why is this book a classic?
It is one of the best romantic suspense novels in history. Not only is it flawless in plot, character design and development, and building of suspense, but it doesn’t fail to shock you even to the last pages.
Why should I read this book?
Read the answer to the previous question.
Why did this book make your list?
It was on the “Top 100 British Novels of the 20th Century” list.
Has it won any awards?
No, but the Hitchcock movie won Best Picture and Best Cinematography in 1940.
Favorite quotes:
“Like old ladies caught at their ablutions, the pigeons would flutter from their hiding-place, shocked into silly agitation, and, making a monstrous to-do with their wings, streak away fom us above the tree-tops, and so out of sight and sound.” – p 7
“I am glad it cannot happen twice, the fever of first-love. For it is a fever, and a burden too, whatever the poets may say. They are not brave, the days when we are twenty-one. They are full of little cowardices, little fears without foundation, and one is so easily bruised, so swiftly wounded, one falls to the first barbed word.” – p 34
Anything else?
Daphne du Maurier also wrote the short story which was later adapted into the Hitchcock classic “The Birds.”
Personal thoughts:
I loved this story from beginning to end. From the first sentence “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again” to the horrific ending, I was hooked. Don’t get me wrong – there were times I wanted to hurl the book across the room because I was so dreadfully angry or tense or apprehensive but this is still a wonderful story. The suspense is not only from the mysterious character of Rebecca, but from the lovely and interesting named new Mrs. de Winter, whose birth name is never revealed. Mrs. Danvers will most definitely compete with Count Dracula as one of the most disturbing villains I have ever come across. And du Maurier is spectacular in her exquisite weaving of details and descriptions – whether it’s the grounds at Manderley, or the tumultuous emotions of the narrator. This novel is the most perfect balance between romance and thriller, drama and horror, that I have ever come across.
Slaughterhouse – Five
May 23, 2006 — sarahintheskywithWho wrote this book and when?
Kurt Vonnegut in 1969.
Has there been a film version?
There was a film version produced in 1972 starring Michael Sacks and was nominated for a Hugo award.
Who are the main characters?
Billy Pilgrim – a young man who becomes unstuck in time, causing him to randomly travel from one point in his life to another; he was also abducted by aliens and put in a Tralfamadore zoo
Valencia – Billy’s wife
Montana Wildhack – a soft porn star who is abducted along with Billy
Edgar Derby – a 44 year old man who serves in the military with Billy, he’s executed in Dresden
Paul Lazzaro – a tough man who swears to kill Billy one day
Kilgore Trout – a cheap sci fi novel writer
Kurt Vonnegut – the narrator
What’s it about?
This story is mainly the story of Billy Pilgrim, a young man who becomes unstuck in time while serving in World War II as an assistant chaplain. He is taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to a labor camp where he serves for a while before being transferred to Dresden. The story is also an elaborately crafted tale of the bombing of Dresden – which was more catastrophic in its toll of human lives than either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. We are treated to Pilgrim’s life through Vonnegut’s eyes, who knew him in the war, but in a dynamic fashion which skips back and forth between every stage of living.
Why is this book a classic?
It is one of the most frequently banned American novels in existence; because of the profanity and sexual content.
Why should I read this book?
It’s Vonnegut at his most creative.
Why did this book make your list?
It was on one of those top 100 lists, for science fiction, I think. And I like Kurt Vonnegut’s writing most of the time.
Has it won any awards?
No, I don’t believe so. But feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
Favorite Quotes:
“Outside were Golgotha sounds of strong men digging holes for upright timbers in hard, hard ground.” – p 137
“And then Billy traveled in time to when he was sixteen years old, in the waiting room of a doctor. Billy had an infected thumb. There was only one other patient waiting – an old, old man. The old man was in agony because of gas. He farted tremendously, and then he belched. ‘Excuse me,’ he said to Billy. Then he did it again. ‘Oh God -’ he said, ‘I knew it was going to be bad getting old.’ He shook his head. ‘I didn’t know it was going to be this bad.’” – p 189
Anything else?
This is a somewhat autobiographical novel (obviously not completely so) because Vonnegut was actually a POW in Dresden when it was bombed.
Personal thoughts:
I enjoyed this story immensely, although I felt like it should be impacting me much more than it did. Maybe I was just looking at it the wrong way. I was very impressed with Vonnegut’s use of time travel in this novel, it struck me as similar to watching the movie “Memento” by skipping from chapter to chapter front and backwards at random. And without the mystery of it being so important. That was taken out by the fatalism presented by Billy being unstuck in time so that he would essentially never die but continously skip from one moment in time to another randomly and out of control. This book is an overwhelmingly creative story which subtly tells the tale of one of the worst bombings in the entirety of WWII.