Book list and reading

I just finished reading 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier. I liked it better than either Sense and Sensibility or Wuthering Heights - so that's good news! In case anyone (read: My SLBer) is interested, my book list of everything I've read in 2010 is located over here.

I usually write a short review (sometimes long, sometimes just a few sentences) about any books I finish, and I figured I might post those here, too.

Rebecca
So, yes ... Rebecca. This novel was recommended to me by a few people over at a forum for a certain fantasy series. I made a topic about exploring other (sub-)genres and several members said they liked 'Rebecca', so I decided to give it a try.

One of the first things that I noticed was that du Maurier tends to overuse the word 'rhododendron'. (It's one of my favourite words, I mean... just look at it, it's almost perfect. Aesthetically pleasing and it sounds good, too. Overexposure can make you immune to the loveliness of some things, so this is definitely not a good thing.) I really liked the imaginary she uses throughout the book. The writing style is not as dry as some other classics tend to be, and after a few chapters it was quite a relaxing read.

One of my favourite quotes:
Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.

Favell must be my favourite character. He's annoying and rather strange, the way he's obsessed with Rebecca (I suppose every character was just that, obsessed - in their own way.). It all makes him a rather interesting character, although not very likeable. Beatrice was also a good character.

I gave 'Rebecca' 3 out of 5 stars on Shelfari, but in reality it deserves at least 3 1/2. It's not really 'my genre' so that's why I didn't rate it higher than that... But on a second read-through I might enjoy it even more. Maybe in a few years...