We love Daphne Du Maurier, well, it’s more of an obsession. As such we’ve read a few of her works and here are our favourites.
The King’s General
Honor Harris is only 18 when she first meets Richard Grenvile, proud, reckless – and utterly captivating. But following a riding accident, Honor must reconcile herself to a life alone. As Richard rises through the ranks of the army, marries and makes enemies, Honor remains true to him, and finally discovers the secret of Menabilly.
What Do We Love About It?
A completely original setting; Cornwall during the Civil War. Amazing characters; this is the first book I’ve ever read from the perspective of a paraplegic. And a genius plot, honestly I’m tempted to call this flawless.
The Scapegoat
By chance, two men – one English, the other French – meet in a provincial railway station. Their resemblance is uncanny, and they spend the next few hours talking and drinking – until at last John, the Englishman, falls into a drunken stupor. It’s to be his last carefree moment, for when he wakes, his French companion has stolen his identity and disappeared.
So John steps into the Frenchman’s shoes, and faces a variety of perplexing roles – as owner of a chateau, director of a failing business, head of a fractious family, and master of nothing…
What Do We Love About It?
We’ve all had those days where other peoples lives are better then ours, but what if it happened? The Scapegoat shows how it might not be as fun as we think, and much more stressful than we’d like, a genius book!
Frenchman’s Creek
The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St Columb to be ripe for any folly, any outrage that will alter the tedium of her days. But there is another, secret Dona who longs for freedom, honest love – and sweetness, even if it is spiced with danger. To escape the shallowness of court life, Dona retreats to Navron, her husband’s remote Cornish estate.
There, she seeks peace in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. But she finds instead a daring pirate, hunted by all Cornwall, a Frenchman who, like Dona, would gamble his life for a moment’s joy. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him.
What Do We Love About It?
The Frenchman’s Creek is a love story but with pirates. I don’t think I need to say any more, do I?
Rebecca
On a trip to the South of France, the shy heroine of Rebecca falls in love with Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower. Although his proposal comes as a surprise, she happily agrees to marry him. But as they arrive at her husband’s home, Manderley, a change comes over Maxim, and the young bride is filled with dread.
Friendless in the isolated mansion, she realises that she barely knows him. In every corner of every room is the phantom of his beautiful first wife, Rebecca, and the new Mrs de Winter walks in her shadow.
What Do We Love About It?
We had to add it, the timeless classic, the most well known (and for good reason). Du Maurier perfectly captures the ruff Cornish coast, and its sinister isolation, all while delivering the most deliciously gothic romances ever written. Rebecca is my all time favourite book!
