The themes in this book are pretty heavy; though I didn't realize it until about halfway through. Smiley writes eloquently, though there were some twists near the end that didn't seem realistic given all the realism of the rest of the book. It's interesting how you come to like these characters, but then Smiley unveils more and more about their past and their present and you almost feel betrayed. A good read that kept me interested when I didn't think a farm-family book could.

I didn't start out riveted by this book, but simply curious as to where it would go. I'd heard of it for years but not until a friend sent me a copy for my birthday last year did I know I'd read it soon. And even then, I'm kind of mad I put it off for as long as I did. The prose is beautiful and it can feel like an enchantment at times. Patchett has a way of describing music and emotions in a lyrical way; the whole journey through this novel felt lyrical. I finished it days ago, but it's still on my mind, especially the characters that I came to know in such a short time.

I know I'll re-read this at some point because there were so many sentences I enjoyed (and recall now) but didn't have the patience to stop and underline while I was reading it.

A well-written novel about men, women, and anthropological subjects. Romantic with great voice work on the audio version. A little disappointed in the ending. Love the character of Nell, and made me interested in exploring a bit more about Margaret Mead.

I'd been meaning to read this book for years, and I'm not sure why it took me so long. The writing pulled me in, though, and du Maurier's descriptions are vivid and haunting and at times creepy. My mind appreciates Manderley's lushness and is haunted by the narrator's description of Mrs. Danvers' 'white skull' face.

The writing was so enchanting, I felt as if under a spell, and when the revelations started, I was rightly shocked. There's also something so interesting about reading a book in first-person and not understanding that person's actions. So many times I felt the need to grab the nameless narrator by the shoulders and shake her awake - spoilers here -

M'dear, you married a murderer, how are you so okay with this?! ... The book has stayed with me so long after finishing, I think, because there are these characters the reader might feel close to, like the narrator and Max, who are essentially bad. To me, a murderer is a murderer no matter how much Max was demeaned and mocked by his first wife. I was aghast at how the narrator, upon learning of his MURDER of Rebecca, felt more than anything relief that Max had not been swooning in love with his dead first wife the entire time. Okay, cool, but dude was removed because he was searing with guilt and the possibility he might be found out and sent to jail forever. For killing his wife and making it look like an accident. Cool cool cool. Of course, Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers, and Rebecca's drunk cousin aren't exactly shiny emblems of good people.

But that's part of why this book is so intriguing - the characters are layered and provocative and distinct. There's a moodiness swirling in the atmosphere and I had to find out how it would end. I was not disappointed. I can't wait to re-read in the future. And to watch the movie; a rare Hitchcock I haven't seen.

PS I wonder what this story might look like in modern times? So much of it driven by archaic societal rules that are pretty much dissolved now... but there are different 'rules' today that could act with the same restrictive feeling I think.

A great read that goes by quickly, but does not skimp on the emotions. I was riveted by this story of loss entwined with the fantastical aspect of a monster visiting the 13-year-old protagonist.

[2011 original review] Joan Didion is certainly perfect at depicting depressed, bleak subjects. There's something I love about books that are the opposite of uplifting, and perhaps that's the reason I love Didion.

The book was a fast read and though I hear it most often talked about when someone mentions her fiction, I still liked Run River more. But, it still warranted another five-star rating. The prose here is outstanding; concise and brilliant as always with Didion.

[2017 re-read] Ugh, I forgot how good Didion is at stringing a small group of words together that can cut you deep in seconds. The book is so quick to read and yet so heavy, and each brilliantly configured sentence serves to weigh down the brevity. Loved this much more upon second reading... feel I should pick this up every year. Written so long ago and the way men treat women: so much the same.

Very, very creepy book. Page-turner beach-read in the vein of Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs. No cannibalism here or anything, but, y'know: kidnapping, sadistic murder, and psychological horror. Not written lightly, even though it teeters on corny at some points. The beginning is awkward but once the rhythm of the story is established between the different time frames it's easy to lose yourself in the book.

A few years ago I read [b:Night Film|18770398|Night Film|Marisha Pessl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397425352s/18770398.jpg|15182838] and quite enjoyed what a cinematic writer Pessl seemed to be. I was not disproven with this novel, her first. I think I liked it much more than Night Film, actually.

At first the constant lit/film references might seem too much. I remember when I first started reading it and sighing when I guessed that perhaps this book was so long because it relied so much on these references padding out the page count. There were times when I needed to read ahead, skipping references so that I could get to the plot. The references slowed down something that could have been rapid-fire twisty plotting.

Perhaps that's what the plot needed, though, because by the end I was in awe of the journey Pessl carved out for her reader (and narrator, Blue). The novel is about Blue van Meer, a girl who moves almost every year of her young life with her father, a professor (totally related to this as a kid that grew up in the Army, btw). She lands in Stockton, NC in her senior year and meets an enigmatic film teacher and a crew of students that worship said teacher. There are a lot of great sequences in the book (Pessl is really great at tension and illustrating a scene like its a film), and so many that felt true to teenage emotions and interactions. There's also a lot that is completely and totally not reality-based (including some of the references, I might add, that I tried looking up on Goodreads only to find no such book existed - that made me laugh out loud). Anyway, the academia coming-of-age send-up you thought you were reading becomes something quite different by book's end and I was completely in love with it in the final chapters.

Highly recommend for patient readers who like surprise endings. Even with the surprises in the end, I feel like I'll come back to this book in a year or two to read again.