Rebecca is a mystery novel by Daphne du Marier and tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with an older widower, marries him and then has to live with the constant comparison people make between her and the late wife, Rebecca. The main character is also the nameless narrator and we learn how she feels inferior in the huge country home of her new husband as she meets a series of his relatives and friends and has to deal with the servants.
She slowly learns about the tragic circumstances of Rebecca's death and the effect it had on her husband but there's a twist in the tale that allows the narrator to see her new life in a different light.
I couldn't put the book down.
Emma, on the other hand, written by Jane Austen in the 19th century has been a struggle from the start. I greatly enjoyed Pride and Prejudice but this one has had me easily distracted by other thoughts and issues at work. The language is very flowery as you would expect from Austen and she continues to use 20 words where 3 would suffice but that was the case with the first of her novels that I wrote so I'm not quite sure why this one has been such a tall order. In fact, I've been allowed to be so distracted by other things that I've had to read several passages twice and still couldn't write a proper review if I was paid. I'm nearly done now and about to start Catch-22 so let's hope I can get through the last couple of chapters quickly.
