Daphne du Maurier

[Rob Houghton]

I agree. Castle Dor is spoiled for me because it's not 'Daphne DuMaurier' in the true sense of the word!

I tried to read "Castle Dor" (I've been to it's location in the 1980's once) decades ago when I became very interested in DDM and read all her novels and a few of her short stories, but couldn't get into it.
Had the same trouble with most of her DuMaurier biographies (The Glass Blowers, Mary Anne, The DuMauriers, Gerald), but thoroughly enjoyed "Myself when young" aka "Growing Pains".
Right now I'm reading "The King's General" which is a lovely read.

I must admit I've never read Castle Dor because, as I say, it is spoiled for me because its not real DDM! Also haven't read the Glass Blowers etc, although I do have them. I think I tried 'Hungry Hill' but also didn't get into that very much. Have you read Hungry Hill?

[Chrissie777]

Rob, I didn't like the novel "The Hungry Hill" at all (neither the movie), I didn't care for most people's favorite "My Cousin Rachel" even though that seems to be taking place close to Menabilly (Four Turnings and the hanging is mentioned). I tried to watch the movie several times, but fell asleep.
And I also dislike "Jamaica Inn" (neither the novel nor the movie even though I love Hitchcock),"The Scapegoat" (not even the Alec Guiness & Bette Davis version which I've watched 3 times) (I heard about a remake that was recently done), didn't care for "The Parasites".

What I find brilliant is "Rebecca", "Frenchman's Creek", "The House on the Strand", "Rule Britannia" and her non-fiction book "Vanishing Cornwall".

I guess I'm more interested in DDM's life and reading biographies on her.

[Rob Houghton]

yes - I have 'Vanishing Cornwall' and like it a lot! I was never that keen on the House On the Strand - found it a bit weird! My Cousin Rachel was okay, but I don't think its as good as fans suggest. I like Jamaica Inn, but prefer the book to any of the films, and also quite like Frenchman's Creek - though in my view its a bit light - basically just romantic fiction.

Rebecca is by far my favourite, followed by The Loving Spirit.

[timv]

My favourite Daphne Du Maurier book is undoubtably 'Rebecca', which is the most atmospheric of her books and portrays the isolated and stiflingly traditional atmosphere of Manderley (as symbolised by the menacingly obsessed and creepy Mrs Danvers) very well. To modern tastes Max is a bit too laid-back and unaware/ uncaring of his second wife's isolation and sense of being out of her depth and his wife doesn't learn to stand up to Mrs D at all, but this is realistic for people of its time and enhances the plot. The story is supposed to be based on Daphne's feelings about her husband General 'Boy' Browning's first wife, who was spoken of with awe as a hostess after DDM married him and made her feel insecure, plus the atmosphere at country houses she'd visited in the 1930s. (Her own social background was non-aristocratic like her heroine's, and was literary/ theatrical ; she was brought up in Hampstead, the literary suburb of N London, where I knew her family home as a student in the 1980s.) I've read the sequels too, and liked the HItchcock film ; as I went to primary school at a converted mansion with a long drive surrounded by massive rhodudendrons I found the approach to Manderley particularly evocative.

I didn't like 'My Cousin Rachel' so much as its plot twists seemed a bit contrived and 'Jamaica Inn' seemed over the top plot-wise and full of sub-Poldark villainous Cornish rustics , but I liked the historical novels 'Frenchman's Creek' and 'The King's General' (another seventeenth century one, about the Civil War Grenville family of Menabilly aka 'Manderley'). Both seemed a bit short though. I've also read DDM's two-volume biography of Francis Bacon and his mysterious homosexual spymaster/ cryptogropher brother Anthony, 'Golden Lads' and 'The Winding Stair'. DDM is a bit under-rated by literary critics in my opinion - possibly snobbery as she was self-taught and wrote books that were easily adaptable for other media?

[Chrissie777]

...and also quite like Frenchman's Creek - though in my view its a bit light - basically just romantic fiction.

"Rebecca" and "Frenchman's Creek" are my favorites (did I mention that I stayed in 1987 in a self-catering cottage at the Helford River right across from Frenchman's Creek?).
DDM admitted in interviews that "Frenchman's Creek" was her only romantic novel and that "Rebecca" was a study in jealousy.

[Chrissie777]

My favourite Daphne Du Maurier book is undoubtably 'Rebecca'. The story is supposed to be based on Daphne's feelings about her husband General 'Boy' Browning's first wife, who was spoken of with awe as a hostess after DDM married him and made her feel insecure, plus the atmosphere at country houses she'd visited in the 1930s.

I've read the sequels too.

Not Tommy Browning's first wife, but his ex-fiancé Jan Riccardo:

http://reclamationandrepresentation.blo ... becca.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So what do you think of the sequels by Susan Hill and Sally Beauman, Tim?

[timv]

I think any sequel by a different author to a unique and individualistic 'classic' has potential problems - is it going to descend into pastiche, and can it develop the characters further without contradicting the original author's intentions or creations? It's almost bound to disappoint many fans of the 'original' by presuming to build on a creation that's seemingly already complete, and has to avoid 'spoiling' the original or taking characters into situations or actions where people who feel they know them in and out are likely to say 'but they'd never do that'. There's also the problem for purists that the 'continuator' is contradicting the original author's intentions of closing the story for good - often at a moment of emotional intensity that's a suitable finale, like the end of 'Rebecca' .

Given all this, it's almost inevitable that a sequel - or partial prequel as with Sally Beauman's 'Rebecca's Tale' - is bound to disappoint. However well the author knows the original, their interpretation is likely to be at odds with what you're expecting. (This is especially so for me with the Jane Austen 'sequel' industry, most of which is pure pastiche though P D James' Elizabeth Bennett/ Mr Darcy murder mystery story 'Death Comes to Pemberley' was quite realistic and true to the characters.) I found both these 'Daphne Du Maurier imitation' books disappointing despite my best hopes and the authors' undoubted skills in recreating some - though not all - of the characters.
Parts of 'Rebecca's Tale' were OK and I liked bringing in Col. Julyan to give his viewpoint, but I found the overall storyline confusing, 'bitty', and not adding much of any use to understanding the original story or successfully recreating the 'Gothic' atmosphere of the original. It would have done better to do a series of 'snapshots' of parts of Rebecca's story as laid out by DDM and subsequent events rather than to create a new and implausible storyline - but I suspect the editors wanted something more sensational. Susan Hill's 'Mrs De Winter' again had a sense of the original in places, but suffered from a poor storyline - it was never exactly clear what information Jack Favell (faithful to the original as a scheming and selfish 'rotter') could use for blackmail, and I'm afraid I kept on getting irritated at why Mrs De W hadn't 'moved on' and matured in confidence in ten years and why Max was just moping all the time and didn't shake himself out of it - he was pathetic not interesting. It was a bit like a pastiche of the Olivier/ Fountaine film and its characters with everyone stuck in their allotted roles - and without Manderley itself, which is almost a character, it was bound to seem second-rate . The final twist was unlikely and illogical, and sounded like a desperate attempt to wrap the story up dramatically!

[Chrissie777]

Given all this, it's almost inevitable that a sequel - or partial prequel as with Sally Beauman's 'Rebecca's Tale' - is bound to disappoint. However well the author knows the original, their interpretation is likely to be at odds with what you're expecting. (This is especially so for me with the Jane Austen 'sequel' industry, most of which is pure pastiche though P D James' Elizabeth Bennett/ Mr Darcy murder mystery story 'Death Comes to Pemberley' was quite realistic and true to the characters.) I found both these 'Daphne Du Maurier imitation' books disappointing despite my best hopes and the authors' undoubted skills in recreating some - though not all - of the characters.

Great great post, Tim! Thank you.
Parts of "Rebecca's Tale" were less interesting, but overall I enjoyed it. Especially Colonel Juliyan's part.
If I had to compare the two books, I would say that Susan de Winter's novel was more to my taste.
Yes, you are right, there is no Manderley in "Mrs. de Winter" (but there's not much Manderley in Sally Beauman's novel), but there is Cobbett's Blake and it's beautiful description which made up for Manderley (at least for me).

[Boatbuilder]

There is a program being shown on BBC4 tonight at 11:30pm that was recorded in 1971 with the author talking about her life to Wilfred De'Ath, from her Cornish home.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, John (Boatbuilder). I'll try to watch it on catch-up at some point.