Robert M. (shotokanchef) reviewed Four Great Cornish Novels: Jamaica Inn / Rebecca / Frenchmans Creek / My Cousin Rachel on + 813 more book reviews
Rebecca
The novel begins, as does a Sherlock Holmes story, with a hint of the denouement. It bodes of tragedy. As I read, I find that her writing rivals that of the Brontes. Rebecca de Winter is an unusual protagonist. She has a secret. Unfortunately, she cannot disclose it, as our heroine has been dead for at least a year. Little by little, we learn about her from the narrator, the next Mrs. de Winter, as she interacts with a host of supporting characters. Rebecca is a maven, and it seems to me as if she is a forebear of Martha Stewart. The deeper that I get into this novel, I return to the title page to verify that I am not reading Jane Eyre. No, wait! It cannot be! They are zipping around in motorcars. At the onset, we are told the fate of Manderley, the de Winter estate. It is similar to that of Thornfield Manor. Will Du Mauriers characters share a common fate with those of Charlotte Brontes? I am intrigued by the enigmas. Rebecca is loved by everyone, but what is her secret? What is the next Mrs. de Winters given name? Her husband never mentions it; to all else she is Mrs. de Winter. I wait while the narrator peels away the layers that reveal the true Rebecca. Finally, the end sends us back to the beginning. Holmes again. But, certainly not quite Finnegans Wake.
Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn lies on a remote and treacherous shore. Despite the fact that it does not seem to operate as such, the inn does not attract much attention. In fact, it is the focal point of a band of "wreckers:" a land based mob that draws ships to the destruction for their laden bootya counterpart to the pirates and smugglers that have, from time to time, predominated on that region. Amid this is an undertone of clergy gone amok and reverting to the worship of the Druids. All quite a lot of travail for our young heroine. Probably Du Maurier's best known work and certainly one of her most enchanting, this is a splendid introduction to one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century. Too bad that she seems to be little read today.
My Cousin Rachael
Ah, Rachel! You are such a mystery to the very end. There are shades of Wilkie Collins in this tale of mutual jealousy between cousins (Is there any other relationship in England?); feelings based solely upon remote perceptions of young Philip and his older Italian cousin Rachel. Much of the dry repartee is similar to that between the main characters of Frenchman's Creek. Little by little the reader is informed of something about Rachel, yet always with some hint that to may be a warped perception. Is Rachel sincere or merely playing a role? Du Maurier is the reincarnation of all three of the Brontës, with a bit of Austin for added measure.
Frenchmans Creek
Lady Dona had packed up the kiddies and shed her husband to hie for a long disused manor in far Cornwall. There are shades of Jane Eyre and Rebecca in this tale of a bored socialite and her infatuation with the local pirate who has been using her manor (Who's been sleeping in my bed?) and property (the creek) as a base of operations against the gentry of the neighborhood. You might even see some flashback to Jamaica Inn. So Lady Dona becomes a consort of the French buccaneer. There is some enchanting banter between the pair as well as among her and the local gentry. This alone makes the book worth reading.
The novel begins, as does a Sherlock Holmes story, with a hint of the denouement. It bodes of tragedy. As I read, I find that her writing rivals that of the Brontes. Rebecca de Winter is an unusual protagonist. She has a secret. Unfortunately, she cannot disclose it, as our heroine has been dead for at least a year. Little by little, we learn about her from the narrator, the next Mrs. de Winter, as she interacts with a host of supporting characters. Rebecca is a maven, and it seems to me as if she is a forebear of Martha Stewart. The deeper that I get into this novel, I return to the title page to verify that I am not reading Jane Eyre. No, wait! It cannot be! They are zipping around in motorcars. At the onset, we are told the fate of Manderley, the de Winter estate. It is similar to that of Thornfield Manor. Will Du Mauriers characters share a common fate with those of Charlotte Brontes? I am intrigued by the enigmas. Rebecca is loved by everyone, but what is her secret? What is the next Mrs. de Winters given name? Her husband never mentions it; to all else she is Mrs. de Winter. I wait while the narrator peels away the layers that reveal the true Rebecca. Finally, the end sends us back to the beginning. Holmes again. But, certainly not quite Finnegans Wake.
Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn lies on a remote and treacherous shore. Despite the fact that it does not seem to operate as such, the inn does not attract much attention. In fact, it is the focal point of a band of "wreckers:" a land based mob that draws ships to the destruction for their laden bootya counterpart to the pirates and smugglers that have, from time to time, predominated on that region. Amid this is an undertone of clergy gone amok and reverting to the worship of the Druids. All quite a lot of travail for our young heroine. Probably Du Maurier's best known work and certainly one of her most enchanting, this is a splendid introduction to one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century. Too bad that she seems to be little read today.
My Cousin Rachael
Ah, Rachel! You are such a mystery to the very end. There are shades of Wilkie Collins in this tale of mutual jealousy between cousins (Is there any other relationship in England?); feelings based solely upon remote perceptions of young Philip and his older Italian cousin Rachel. Much of the dry repartee is similar to that between the main characters of Frenchman's Creek. Little by little the reader is informed of something about Rachel, yet always with some hint that to may be a warped perception. Is Rachel sincere or merely playing a role? Du Maurier is the reincarnation of all three of the Brontës, with a bit of Austin for added measure.
Frenchmans Creek
Lady Dona had packed up the kiddies and shed her husband to hie for a long disused manor in far Cornwall. There are shades of Jane Eyre and Rebecca in this tale of a bored socialite and her infatuation with the local pirate who has been using her manor (Who's been sleeping in my bed?) and property (the creek) as a base of operations against the gentry of the neighborhood. You might even see some flashback to Jamaica Inn. So Lady Dona becomes a consort of the French buccaneer. There is some enchanting banter between the pair as well as among her and the local gentry. This alone makes the book worth reading.
