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Mary Anne
In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that before long she comes to the notice of the Duke of York.
With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government - and brings personal disgrace.
A vivid portrait of overweening ambition, MARY ANNE is set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on du Maurier's own great-great-grandmother.
391 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1954
270 people are currently reading
4080 people want to read
About the author
Daphne du Maurier
435 books10.2k followersDaphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel, née Beaumont. In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby, and her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. She and her sisters were indulged as a children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story.
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October 25, 2021
2021 review: This highly fictionalised Regency London set tale, with the Napoleonic wars in the far background, features the rise and fall of Mary Anne Clarke, media notorious courtesan to Frederick Augustus (Duke of York and Alb, the Duke of York and Albany (he of the 'Grand old Duke of York' rhyme!); she was also Daphne du Maurier's great grand mother!
Knowing how du Maurier researches her books, this work provided a lot of insight into Regency London, politics and social etiquette, that was mostly new to me. Without doubt, despite being strongly led by Mary Anne's life, this book is just as much a nod to the excesses, mores and realities of Regency London and the English ruling classes of the day. Yet another compelling page-turning read by du Maurier, with a non-conventional lead female protagonist (again :)) with the added bonus that the core of the book is based on historical fact. Enjoy! 8 out of 12.
Knowing how du Maurier researches her books, this work provided a lot of insight into Regency London, politics and social etiquette, that was mostly new to me. Without doubt, despite being strongly led by Mary Anne's life, this book is just as much a nod to the excesses, mores and realities of Regency London and the English ruling classes of the day. Yet another compelling page-turning read by du Maurier, with a non-conventional lead female protagonist (again :)) with the added bonus that the core of the book is based on historical fact. Enjoy! 8 out of 12.
dnf
February 18, 2025DNF 25%
Wrócę jeśli albatros wznowi i będzie audio, bo w papierze mam problem przez nią przejść.
Wrócę jeśli albatros wznowi i będzie audio, bo w papierze mam problem przez nią przejść.
April 2, 2012
This is the story of Daphne du Maurier’s great-great-grandmother, Mary Anne Clarke, born into a poor family in the East End of London, married at fifteen and the mother of four children by the time she was twenty-three. Mary Anne became a notorious courtesan and mistress of the Duke of York and was later the central figure in a political corruption scandal, the repercussions of which ultimately led to her downfall.
According to Lisa Hilton, who wrote the introduction to the 2003 Virago edition, du Maurier did not much care for Mary Anne. She wrote that it was “lacking in human interest and reads like a newspaper report”. To some extent du Maurier was right. While it’s not really devoid of human interest, neither Mary Anne nor most of the other characters are particularly sympathetic. Although what motivates Mary Anne to behave in the way she does is understandable, it does not make her likeable. Further, much of the latter part of the book reads like transcripts from the parliamentary inquiry at which she gave evidence and the various trials in which she was involved.
The outcome of this is an uneven tone. Part of the book reads like a novel and part of it reads like a biography. The writing is excellent, but the two parts of the book feel quite separate. It may be the lawyer in me, but I found the parliamentary inquiry and the trials incredibly interesting. However, I really would have liked a bibliography or at the very least an author’s note discussing the primary sources and explaining what is fact and what is fiction. What I would have liked even more, I think, is an actual biography, rather than historical fiction. If du Maurier had written a biography about her ancestor, this might have been a much better book. It could have been the Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire of its time.
Still, I don’t regret the time I’ve spent reading Mary Anne. In spite of its weaknesses, the book still demonstrates du Maurier’s consummate skill as a writer. She was able to create a sense of place and time without resorting to archaic vocabulary. The central characters – for all they are mostly unlikeable - are vividly realised and never feel like transplants from du Maurier’s time. There were also moments of wonderfully written sly humour.
For me, this was a 3-1/2 star read. It gets half a star because I found the content about the parliamentary inquiry and the legal system so very interesting. Another buddy read with my friend Jemidar.
April 2, 2012
Although I would have previously sworn that it was impossible for du Maurier to write a bad book, this one comes periously close and although it had all the right elements; good story, fascinating real life people, great period setting, royalty, scandal etc it just never really came together for me. It felt disjointed, uneven, lacking in emotion and with a lacklustre, prosaic feel that du Mauriers other books just don't have. I missed her lyrical descriptions. I also struggled to sympathise with Mary Anne, and by the end I positively disliked her, not caring one bit about her fate. Disappointingly, the narrative was a strange and uncomfortable mix of historical fiction and biography which never quite reached it's potential and in the end left me wanting more of both.
However, this is Daphne du Maurier we're talking about so even a 'meh' book by her is better than a lot of others out there. Just don't expect another Rebecca or Frenchman's Creek or My Cousin Rachel etc.
Buddy read with Kim.
November 15, 2009
I'm a bit conflicted about this book, I liked it and I'm glad I read it, but at the same time it really bothered me, it was depressing and I found myself alternating between being really proud of Mary Anne for being so strong and smart and being angry with her for being so foolish.
Mary Anne Clarke was Daphne Du Maurier's great-great grandmother. She was clever, witty and beautiful. She was a mistress to Frederick Augustus Brunswick the Duke of York and Albany, son of King George III. She was also the star witness for the opposition when the House of Commons launched an investigation into allegations that the Duke had been accepting payments in exchange for military commissions. Mary Anne had an interesting life to say the least.
The history in the story is sometimes difficult to follow, but at the same time it's not imperative that you know all the political details. I recently read 'The Secret Wife of King George IV' by Diane Haeger and was really glad I had some understanding of the references to the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Fritz, his wife and mistress. Du Maurier writes about Mary Anne's relationships with a subtlety that can escape the reader if they aren't paying close attention.
Mary Anne had guts to stand up to the government's cross-examination and the public scrutiny during the investigation, I admired her bravery. I thought it was fascinating that memorabilia was being produced and sold with Mary Anne's likeness during the scandal. So many things were as they are now.
I am a fan of Daphne Du Maurier, I just love her writing and I'm also very curious about her family history. There's a lot of really fascinating stuff in the Du Maurier family tree. I wanted to read this book and get an idea about the Du Maurier family past. It took some courage to write this story the way that Du Maurier did. I'm sure I would have taken the sugar coated path if I had been writing about my great-great grandmother.
Du Maurier describes the facade Mary Anne created to give people the impression she was living a luxurious and carefree life, the reader has to wonder if the same is true for the author. Was she living a life with a facade that was very different from reality, the more I read about her the more I think so.
Mary Anne Clarke was Daphne Du Maurier's great-great grandmother. She was clever, witty and beautiful. She was a mistress to Frederick Augustus Brunswick the Duke of York and Albany, son of King George III. She was also the star witness for the opposition when the House of Commons launched an investigation into allegations that the Duke had been accepting payments in exchange for military commissions. Mary Anne had an interesting life to say the least.
The history in the story is sometimes difficult to follow, but at the same time it's not imperative that you know all the political details. I recently read 'The Secret Wife of King George IV' by Diane Haeger and was really glad I had some understanding of the references to the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Fritz, his wife and mistress. Du Maurier writes about Mary Anne's relationships with a subtlety that can escape the reader if they aren't paying close attention.
Mary Anne had guts to stand up to the government's cross-examination and the public scrutiny during the investigation, I admired her bravery. I thought it was fascinating that memorabilia was being produced and sold with Mary Anne's likeness during the scandal. So many things were as they are now.
I am a fan of Daphne Du Maurier, I just love her writing and I'm also very curious about her family history. There's a lot of really fascinating stuff in the Du Maurier family tree. I wanted to read this book and get an idea about the Du Maurier family past. It took some courage to write this story the way that Du Maurier did. I'm sure I would have taken the sugar coated path if I had been writing about my great-great grandmother.
Du Maurier describes the facade Mary Anne created to give people the impression she was living a luxurious and carefree life, the reader has to wonder if the same is true for the author. Was she living a life with a facade that was very different from reality, the more I read about her the more I think so.
November 19, 2022
Wow. Wowee wow wow.
I went into this knowing nothing. It happened to pop up as being available on my library app, and decided to go for it. WOW.
A third of the way through I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, where I learned that this is not just a totally juicy tale of seduction and revenge, but ALSO THE TRUE STORY OF HER GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
So everybody just KNEW this woman was the Duke of York's mistress? And before she was, dudes would just show up to her house and like . . . expect to be "entertained?!" I just . . . really did not expect that. I thought that there were very, very discreet mistresses, and then there were prostitutes in brothels, but I did not think that a generally respectable widow could just . . . set herself up to have gentleman callers like that! And THIS WAS HER GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
I'm sorry, that part is just wild to me.
This book reminded me very much of Vanity Fair, and I was thinking at first that maybe du Maurier was doing some light copying . . . but now I think maybe Thackeray based Becky Sharp on Mary Anne Clark!
I went into this knowing nothing. It happened to pop up as being available on my library app, and decided to go for it. WOW.
A third of the way through I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, where I learned that this is not just a totally juicy tale of seduction and revenge, but ALSO THE TRUE STORY OF HER GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
So everybody just KNEW this woman was the Duke of York's mistress? And before she was, dudes would just show up to her house and like . . . expect to be "entertained?!" I just . . . really did not expect that. I thought that there were very, very discreet mistresses, and then there were prostitutes in brothels, but I did not think that a generally respectable widow could just . . . set herself up to have gentleman callers like that! And THIS WAS HER GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
I'm sorry, that part is just wild to me.
This book reminded me very much of Vanity Fair, and I was thinking at first that maybe du Maurier was doing some light copying . . . but now I think maybe Thackeray based Becky Sharp on Mary Anne Clark!
February 14, 2019
I loved this interesting story based on Daphne`s great, great grandmother and her affair with the Duke of York! Very scandalous!
March 23, 2009
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned....
A bit different from your usual Du Maurier novel, in this one she tells the story of her great-great-grandmother Mary Anne Clarke. Borne into a poor London family, Mary Anne marries Joseph Clarke who ends up drinking and gambling away any money he gets from his family. Disgusted with the marriage and desperate to support her children, Mary Anne finds herself tempted by a *cough* broker for the wealthy nobility and becomes mistress to Frederick Duke of York. Although being a mistress of a prince with no head for money brings on its own dilemma - how to run a household and a lavish lifestyle on the meager allowance the Duke gives her. With a war looming, men eager for commissions seek preferable treatment through Mary Anne, as the Duke is also the Commander-in-Chief and an offer of money gets a word in the right ear.
Eventually the Duke tires of Mary Anne and she finds herself out in the cold with massive household debts and no pension from the Duke, her brother unjustly cashiered out of the army and her finger is very much in the pie when the scandal of selling commissions hits Parliament with a full blown investigation including the testimony of one very disgruntled ex-mistress. I won't be a spoiler, but further actions taken by Mary Anne in revenge against those who "done her wrong" don't work out as planned and sets her on a nine-month path of harrowing consequences.
Du Maurier is superb as always, she had me hooked from the very unusual opening reflecting back on Mary Anne's life (do go back and reread it after you've finished) to the very end as she makes a very final and fitting farewell to the man who had such an impact on her life. The kind of woman you either love or hate, Mary Anne was most definitely a woman who did what she had to do in order to survive in a man's world and make a better life for her children. Du Maurier doesn't sugar coat her image either - she's presented as is, warts and all. I loved the relationship between her and the Duke, particularly their first meeting in the *cough* broker's parlor where not knowing who she's set to meet she natters on about the latest court gossip (priceless!), to their first dinner and the popping buttons (you'll know when you get there) although tops was the way the author worked in Mary Anne getting those officer's names out there in between seducing the Duke. Its so refreshing to see that an author can write a sex scene so subtly that it isn't staring you in the face with blow-by-blow details but you know what's going on at the same time. The only parts that did drag were the court scenes, with endless pages of testimony and dialogue, and for that I'm knocking off 1/2 star - 4.5/5 stars.
A bit different from your usual Du Maurier novel, in this one she tells the story of her great-great-grandmother Mary Anne Clarke. Borne into a poor London family, Mary Anne marries Joseph Clarke who ends up drinking and gambling away any money he gets from his family. Disgusted with the marriage and desperate to support her children, Mary Anne finds herself tempted by a *cough* broker for the wealthy nobility and becomes mistress to Frederick Duke of York. Although being a mistress of a prince with no head for money brings on its own dilemma - how to run a household and a lavish lifestyle on the meager allowance the Duke gives her. With a war looming, men eager for commissions seek preferable treatment through Mary Anne, as the Duke is also the Commander-in-Chief and an offer of money gets a word in the right ear.
Eventually the Duke tires of Mary Anne and she finds herself out in the cold with massive household debts and no pension from the Duke, her brother unjustly cashiered out of the army and her finger is very much in the pie when the scandal of selling commissions hits Parliament with a full blown investigation including the testimony of one very disgruntled ex-mistress. I won't be a spoiler, but further actions taken by Mary Anne in revenge against those who "done her wrong" don't work out as planned and sets her on a nine-month path of harrowing consequences.
Du Maurier is superb as always, she had me hooked from the very unusual opening reflecting back on Mary Anne's life (do go back and reread it after you've finished) to the very end as she makes a very final and fitting farewell to the man who had such an impact on her life. The kind of woman you either love or hate, Mary Anne was most definitely a woman who did what she had to do in order to survive in a man's world and make a better life for her children. Du Maurier doesn't sugar coat her image either - she's presented as is, warts and all. I loved the relationship between her and the Duke, particularly their first meeting in the *cough* broker's parlor where not knowing who she's set to meet she natters on about the latest court gossip (priceless!), to their first dinner and the popping buttons (you'll know when you get there) although tops was the way the author worked in Mary Anne getting those officer's names out there in between seducing the Duke. Its so refreshing to see that an author can write a sex scene so subtly that it isn't staring you in the face with blow-by-blow details but you know what's going on at the same time. The only parts that did drag were the court scenes, with endless pages of testimony and dialogue, and for that I'm knocking off 1/2 star - 4.5/5 stars.
September 4, 2015
I'm not sure how to feel about this book. On one hand, I really admired certain traits of the title character, Mary Anne. She was ambitious, tenacious, and always thinking of her children. She would do almost anything to keep a roof over her head, no matter how her name got dragged through the mud.
On the other hand, she, and almost every other character, was an idiot about money. They all saw no problem living endlessly on credit in order to maintain luxurious lifestyles. Hardly anyone ever made good on a bill. And these bills were for lavish things, like houses and jewelry and furniture. But you know, you don't have to pay your bills as long as you claim you're a widow. At least have them sent to your estranged derelict husband, am I right ladies? At the very least have someone else buy things so you're off the hook when the issue of nonpayment goes to court.
This aspect of the novel affected me more than it should have, apparently. On the plus side, I can now rest easy knowing Americans didn't invent depending on credit.
Anyway, I do love du Maurier, but this turned out to be my least favorite of her novels so far. This was written well and was readable like her usual style. The first part was really interesting, but the middle and end of the book definitely lagged for me. I am impressed by how well she was able to put together a fictional account of one of her ancestors.
On the other hand, she, and almost every other character, was an idiot about money. They all saw no problem living endlessly on credit in order to maintain luxurious lifestyles. Hardly anyone ever made good on a bill. And these bills were for lavish things, like houses and jewelry and furniture. But you know, you don't have to pay your bills as long as you claim you're a widow. At least have them sent to your estranged derelict husband, am I right ladies? At the very least have someone else buy things so you're off the hook when the issue of nonpayment goes to court.
This aspect of the novel affected me more than it should have, apparently. On the plus side, I can now rest easy knowing Americans didn't invent depending on credit.
Anyway, I do love du Maurier, but this turned out to be my least favorite of her novels so far. This was written well and was readable like her usual style. The first part was really interesting, but the middle and end of the book definitely lagged for me. I am impressed by how well she was able to put together a fictional account of one of her ancestors.
February 22, 2010
Mary Anne is an odd sort of beast, a mix of historical fact and fiction that doesn't quite work. Mary Anne Clarke was the scandalous mistress of George III's son the Duke of York; she was also du Maurier's great-great-grandmother. Clearly, Mary Anne led a very interesting life; unfortunately, though du Maurier succeeds in drawing the strength of her character, her style of telling Mary Anne's story is lackluster. It would have been better as straight historical biography or as historical fiction than it is as a blend of both; as it is, there's too much invention (largely of dialogue) for it to seem reliable as history, and not enough emotion or narrative drive for it to work as fiction.
May 16, 2021
I'm usually a huge fan of DDM but this sadly missed the mark for me. Apparently it is based on the true story of one of her ancestors so I presume she was limited to where she could take this novel.
Started off reasonably well, but frankly, further in, I became a little bored.
Nowhere near as good as Rebecca, Scapegoat or My Cousin Rachel. 😒
Started off reasonably well, but frankly, further in, I became a little bored.
Nowhere near as good as Rebecca, Scapegoat or My Cousin Rachel. 😒
November 7, 2022
The dreams were all hers.
Was it the same Regency world as in beloved Regency romances (by GH)? Hard to believe. Nonetheless, this novel was priceless for me as a fan of the genre (Regency romances). It showed me something from behind the curtains. Something much much less romantic. A man-made world and what happened when one woman is trying to find her place in such a world.
But once a woman stole the initiative, plundered the perquisites and took the lead, what happened to the globe? The fabric cracked
The first part was thrilling, engrossing. The historical fiction in full splendor with a touch of du Maurier's way of storytelling.
The world I knew has gone. This is tomorrow
Again there was a woman, her role, her integrity as one of the main topics of the book.
Also, men were one of the issues that du Maurier analyzed, especially their hypocrisy.
Unfortunately, the second part of the novel lost much of my attention. The legal part, the whole lawsuit was too much like a newspaper report. It was good that du Maurier gave a memorable ending. This way I woke up at the end.
Mary Anne was a fascinating character (and probably a person). She was able to do everything for her family and friends. She fought and won some battles, some other she lost. It is hard not to wonder how her life would have been if she had lived in a more equal world (considering sex), or if her family and friends had been more supportive.
I took Misfit's advice and went back and reread the first chapter after I've finished the novel. I also recommend to do it.
Like in the book, let the last word belong to Mary Anne:
He laughed and shook his head. “I think you’re incorrigible.”
“Good God, I hope so. Otherwise why live?”
August 11, 2019
“You still stand watch, O human star, burning without a flicker, perfect flame, bright and resourceful spirit. Each of your rays a great idea – O torch which passes from hand to hand, from age to age, world without end.” – Karel Capek
Mary Anne is thirteen years old when we first meet her. Her mother, step father Bob Farquhar, brothers Charley, George and Eddie, and baby sister Isobel are crammed into a small home. They are barely making ends meet financially and the children do not go to school.
Bob Farquhar, employed as a compositor and copy corrector at a Fleet Street scandal sheet printing house is suddenly struck with a bad case of heat stroke that would have him laid up for a number of weeks. Mary Anne is dispatched to inform her father’s immediate supervisor, a Mr. Day, of the condition of his employee.
But Mary Anne has other plans.
It is while walking to the printing house that Mary Anne hatches a plan. When she arrives at the printing office, informing Mr. Day that her father is laid up, (a broken leg she says), but that he’s still able to correct the copy if Mr. Day would permit her to pick up the copy each day, she would be sure to deliver it to her father and return it corrected.
Mr. Day is loath to lose the services of Bob, his most reliable employee, so he agrees to this plan and Mary Anne picks up the copy each day, goes home, and secretly corrects it herself, (forging her father’s signature in the process), and delivers it back to the printing house, no one the wiser. Her father is in no shape to do the work himself, so she reasons that the deception is for the greater good of providing much needed money for the family.
She also happens to be drawn to the scandal stories (mostly of current affairs and politics) even though she doesn’t fully appreciate the sarcasm and harsh wit contained therein.
One day Mary Anne’s father confronts her, informing her that Mr. Day had stopped by the house earlier that day, asking after his employee with the “broken leg”. Mary Anne’s father and his employer had quickly concluded that Mary Anne, a thirteen year old girl was indeed correcting the copy herself, and, surprisingly, doing it rather well. Bob tells his daughter that Mr. Day wishes to speak with her regarding this situation, and the next day she arrives at the printing office expecting to be scolded, but instead, Mr. Day informs her that he believes she is highly intelligent and should have a proper education. To this end, he informs her, he will pay for her education at a boarding school for young ladies in Essex.
Mary Anne is taken aback by Mr. Days offer and thanks him for his generosity, but it’s her inner thoughts that reveal what is to come for Mary Anne:
She had done something that she was not supposed to do. She had deceived Mr. Day, and Mr. Day was going to educate her.
It paid, then, to deceive.
The chapters that follow contain the rather fantastic telling of Mary Anne’s turbulent life as she jumps from one lover and life situation “lily pad” to the next. She makes a habit of trading up, all in the name of higher social standing, financial security and lavish lifestyle. The lengths to which this character takes these ambitions is a testament to Daphne du Maurier’s storytelling mastery.
Another aspect of “Mary Anne” that stood out for me was that it appealed to my logophile tastes.
There were the exquisitely crafted du Maurier scenes of a young girl pondering her love of words:
“Words fascinated her, the shape of the curling letters, how some, by repeating themselves more often, had importance. They had difference of sex too. The a’s, the e’s and the u’s were women; the hard g’s, the b’s, and the q’s were all men, and seemed to depend on the others.”
Then there was the exceptional range of unique words used in the story. Here was just a few of my favorites, (all of which I wasn’t previously aware of):
“Whirligig” – When used to describe, “A giddy or flighty person.”
“Gimcrack” – A showy, useless trifle.
“Rusticate” – To stay or sojourn in the country.
“Prink” – To deck or dress for show.
“Squib” – A short and witty saying.
“Mary Anne” is my third Daphne du Maurier novel. I’d previously read “Jamaica Inn” and “Rebecca” and based on how tremendously written those two were, I decided to reach in and pick up another selection among this amazing writer’s extensive body of work.
I’ve come to understand that this novel is less well known than “Rebecca”, “Frenchman’s Creek” and “The Birds.” But this one showed me du Maurier’s ability to craft and exceptionally well told story where the protagonist is placed in multiple, varied settings, a wide variety of households with a parade of different “leading men” along the way. “Mary Anne” demonstrated just how multi-faceted is the genius of this celebrated writer!
A full to brimming five stars!
Mary Anne is thirteen years old when we first meet her. Her mother, step father Bob Farquhar, brothers Charley, George and Eddie, and baby sister Isobel are crammed into a small home. They are barely making ends meet financially and the children do not go to school.
Bob Farquhar, employed as a compositor and copy corrector at a Fleet Street scandal sheet printing house is suddenly struck with a bad case of heat stroke that would have him laid up for a number of weeks. Mary Anne is dispatched to inform her father’s immediate supervisor, a Mr. Day, of the condition of his employee.
But Mary Anne has other plans.
It is while walking to the printing house that Mary Anne hatches a plan. When she arrives at the printing office, informing Mr. Day that her father is laid up, (a broken leg she says), but that he’s still able to correct the copy if Mr. Day would permit her to pick up the copy each day, she would be sure to deliver it to her father and return it corrected.
Mr. Day is loath to lose the services of Bob, his most reliable employee, so he agrees to this plan and Mary Anne picks up the copy each day, goes home, and secretly corrects it herself, (forging her father’s signature in the process), and delivers it back to the printing house, no one the wiser. Her father is in no shape to do the work himself, so she reasons that the deception is for the greater good of providing much needed money for the family.
She also happens to be drawn to the scandal stories (mostly of current affairs and politics) even though she doesn’t fully appreciate the sarcasm and harsh wit contained therein.
One day Mary Anne’s father confronts her, informing her that Mr. Day had stopped by the house earlier that day, asking after his employee with the “broken leg”. Mary Anne’s father and his employer had quickly concluded that Mary Anne, a thirteen year old girl was indeed correcting the copy herself, and, surprisingly, doing it rather well. Bob tells his daughter that Mr. Day wishes to speak with her regarding this situation, and the next day she arrives at the printing office expecting to be scolded, but instead, Mr. Day informs her that he believes she is highly intelligent and should have a proper education. To this end, he informs her, he will pay for her education at a boarding school for young ladies in Essex.
Mary Anne is taken aback by Mr. Days offer and thanks him for his generosity, but it’s her inner thoughts that reveal what is to come for Mary Anne:
She had done something that she was not supposed to do. She had deceived Mr. Day, and Mr. Day was going to educate her.
It paid, then, to deceive.
The chapters that follow contain the rather fantastic telling of Mary Anne’s turbulent life as she jumps from one lover and life situation “lily pad” to the next. She makes a habit of trading up, all in the name of higher social standing, financial security and lavish lifestyle. The lengths to which this character takes these ambitions is a testament to Daphne du Maurier’s storytelling mastery.
Another aspect of “Mary Anne” that stood out for me was that it appealed to my logophile tastes.
There were the exquisitely crafted du Maurier scenes of a young girl pondering her love of words:
“Words fascinated her, the shape of the curling letters, how some, by repeating themselves more often, had importance. They had difference of sex too. The a’s, the e’s and the u’s were women; the hard g’s, the b’s, and the q’s were all men, and seemed to depend on the others.”
Then there was the exceptional range of unique words used in the story. Here was just a few of my favorites, (all of which I wasn’t previously aware of):
“Whirligig” – When used to describe, “A giddy or flighty person.”
“Gimcrack” – A showy, useless trifle.
“Rusticate” – To stay or sojourn in the country.
“Prink” – To deck or dress for show.
“Squib” – A short and witty saying.
“Mary Anne” is my third Daphne du Maurier novel. I’d previously read “Jamaica Inn” and “Rebecca” and based on how tremendously written those two were, I decided to reach in and pick up another selection among this amazing writer’s extensive body of work.
I’ve come to understand that this novel is less well known than “Rebecca”, “Frenchman’s Creek” and “The Birds.” But this one showed me du Maurier’s ability to craft and exceptionally well told story where the protagonist is placed in multiple, varied settings, a wide variety of households with a parade of different “leading men” along the way. “Mary Anne” demonstrated just how multi-faceted is the genius of this celebrated writer!
A full to brimming five stars!
February 19, 2024
Mary Anne is a novel based on the life of du Maurier's great great grandmother, Mary Anne Clarke, a courtesan who was the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York (second son of George III, he who suffered frum bouts of insanity). Mary Anne was born to modest circumstances, but dreamed of a better life. She married a man who drank too much and went bankrupt, and it became Mary Anne's responsibility to take care of her children. Her personailty was that pert mixture of ambition and charm that served as a useful resume in the days before women could work at well-paying jobs; Mary Anne was a Scarlett O'Hara with a British accent, or a Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair. She was a survivor who would stop at nothing to ensure financial stability, but her wit and charm prevented anyone from calling her grasping. The Duke was Commander-in-Chief of the army, and he didn't pay Mary Anne what she needed to keep up her home to his standards, so she took bribes to get commissions for ambitious soldiers. The Duke appears to have known what was going on, and accomodated her requests. The resulting fall-out was a great scandal in London scene.
Du Maurier's novel is a charming as her subject - I find du Maurier to be a very engaging author who knows how to grip the reader's attention. She clearly admired and was sympathetic to her great great grandmother, and the result is absorbing tale of survival and scandal in 1800s London. I can't help but admire Mary Anne for her guts and her ability to handle powerful men. She got kicked, but kicked back ten times as hard, and I tip my hat to her from the distance and perspective of the comparative ease of the 21st century woman. She played powerful men for fools, survived on her wits, and had a grand time even when she was defending herself in Court. I liked her- I would not have wanted to go up against her - but I liked her.
Du Maurier's novel is a charming as her subject - I find du Maurier to be a very engaging author who knows how to grip the reader's attention. She clearly admired and was sympathetic to her great great grandmother, and the result is absorbing tale of survival and scandal in 1800s London. I can't help but admire Mary Anne for her guts and her ability to handle powerful men. She got kicked, but kicked back ten times as hard, and I tip my hat to her from the distance and perspective of the comparative ease of the 21st century woman. She played powerful men for fools, survived on her wits, and had a grand time even when she was defending herself in Court. I liked her- I would not have wanted to go up against her - but I liked her.
January 22, 2025
I picked this up because I have read du Maurier before and knew I could settle in for a good read. du Maurier writes that this is a story of her great great grandmother. As I read, I thought perhaps she had placed that grandmother in the times and then created a story that fit the time period accurately. As I got further into it, I decided to do some checking. This rightfully belongs on the list Best Historical Fiction Books that Are Actually Historical Fiction.
Do I say more? Mary Anne Clark was not necessarily a woman you would want for your next door neighbor or best friend. Born into a household who lived in dirty alleys, she had ambition for a higher station. Frankly, in 1800s London, for a woman not born to money, there weren't many ways to live as if she had it. Mary Anne had the looks - and personality - to attract men with money. Oh, for Mary Anne, a man with money was not enough. A high-ranking man with money would do nicely. Perhaps a son of King George III would be perfect.
I'll happily read more of du Maurier. Maybe I won't be as atuned to the true history of the time as I was in this. And maybe I will - who knows? - I haven't looked at all of her titles yet. Still, 5 stars is probably a slight exaggeration for this. A very (very!) good 4-stars is more accurate.
Do I say more? Mary Anne Clark was not necessarily a woman you would want for your next door neighbor or best friend. Born into a household who lived in dirty alleys, she had ambition for a higher station. Frankly, in 1800s London, for a woman not born to money, there weren't many ways to live as if she had it. Mary Anne had the looks - and personality - to attract men with money. Oh, for Mary Anne, a man with money was not enough. A high-ranking man with money would do nicely. Perhaps a son of King George III would be perfect.
I'll happily read more of du Maurier. Maybe I won't be as atuned to the true history of the time as I was in this. And maybe I will - who knows? - I haven't looked at all of her titles yet. Still, 5 stars is probably a slight exaggeration for this. A very (very!) good 4-stars is more accurate.
July 24, 2023
I first read this when I was eighteen and was not impressed. I knew very little of the history of George III and Regency England (except where it interfaced with the U. S. or France) and nothing at all about English law as practiced in English courtrooms of the time. I then found the novel uninteresting and boring. Five+ decades later, I picked it up again. What a difference a lifetime of study, reading, and life experience make!
January 13, 2017
"Мери Ан" е нещо като биография на прабабата на авторката. Мери Анн Кларк е била колоритна личност - куртизанка, фейлетонистка и опортюнистка, която се е подвизавала из Лондон в началото на 19 век и е била замесена в не един политически скандал. Книгата е доста нееднородна: първата половина се чете като исторически (любовен) роман, но втората половина преминава някак неестествено в сух документален роман с цитирани цели писма, съдебни речи и вестникарски статии.
Вероятно е доста трудно да се пише за роднини, хем ти се иска някак да ги украсиш, хем действителността и фактите те боцкат по гърба, докато пишеш. Не харесах героинята, не харесах и опитите на дю Морие да изкара поведението и професията ѝ като някаква ранна форма на феминизъм с вметки за несправедливата орис на ��ените и за непостоянството на мъжете. Мисля, че дори самата авторка се е борела да придаде алтруистично лице на едни амбиции, които нямат нищо общо с алтруизма. Желанието да си затрупан с красиви вещи, да имаш каляска с 4 коня и 20 слуги, да ти се възхищават, да демонстрираш висок финансов статус е изказано направо, но сякаш дю Морие на места се стряска от този светоглед и започва да търси други, по-приемливи от морална гледна точка обяснения. Но фактите са си факти - Мери Анн Кларк е била жена, която държи изключително на външната украса на нещата, на опаковката пред съдържанието.
В книгата ми допадна това, че куртизанството изглежда представено доста реалистично, със спадове и издигания. Впечатляваща беше финансовата култура на героите, по-скоро анти-култура - животът от дълг на дълг, с лъжи, измами и необслужвани кредити. Най-важното е да изглеждаш богат.:)
Вероятно е доста трудно да се пише за роднини, хем ти се иска някак да ги украсиш, хем действителността и фактите те боцкат по гърба, докато пишеш. Не харесах героинята, не харесах и опитите на дю Морие да изкара поведението и професията ѝ като някаква ранна форма на феминизъм с вметки за несправедливата орис на ��ените и за непостоянството на мъжете. Мисля, че дори самата авторка се е борела да придаде алтруистично лице на едни амбиции, които нямат нищо общо с алтруизма. Желанието да си затрупан с красиви вещи, да имаш каляска с 4 коня и 20 слуги, да ти се възхищават, да демонстрираш висок финансов статус е изказано направо, но сякаш дю Морие на места се стряска от този светоглед и започва да търси други, по-приемливи от морална гледна точка обяснения. Но фактите са си факти - Мери Анн Кларк е била жена, която държи изключително на външната украса на нещата, на опаковката пред съдържанието.
В книгата ми допадна това, че куртизанството изглежда представено доста реалистично, със спадове и издигания. Впечатляваща беше финансовата култура на героите, по-скоро анти-култура - животът от дълг на дълг, с лъжи, измами и необслужвани кредити. Най-важното е да изглеждаш богат.:)
November 19, 2011
Este é o quinto livro que leio de Daphne du Maurier, sendo que achei-os todos diferentes uns dos outros, no entanto, “Mary Anne” é o mais diferente. Ao contrário dos outros livros, este não tem elementos mais obscuros que criam o clima habitual de tensão.
Neste livro, Daphne conta-nos a história da sua trisavó Mary Anne Clarke, numa Londres nos finais do século XVIII, inícios do século XIX, em que mistura um ambiente de sedução com escândalos de corrupção e políticos.
Mary Anne é uma jovem pobre, mas que se serve da sua beleza como “trampolim” para a sua riqueza.
Gostei bastante deste livro de Daphne pois caracteriza bem uma época Londrina passada, com as diferenças sociais existentes entre sexos e estratos sociais.
A sua escrita continua a seguir a mesma linha, uma escrita simples e directa, que torna a leitura interessante e cativante, pois não apresenta informação a mais. “Mary Anne” torna-se ainda mais interessante pela sua componente histórica, com muitos jogos políticos e corrupção que caracterizam aquela época.
Neste livro, Daphne conta-nos a história da sua trisavó Mary Anne Clarke, numa Londres nos finais do século XVIII, inícios do século XIX, em que mistura um ambiente de sedução com escândalos de corrupção e políticos.
Mary Anne é uma jovem pobre, mas que se serve da sua beleza como “trampolim” para a sua riqueza.
Gostei bastante deste livro de Daphne pois caracteriza bem uma época Londrina passada, com as diferenças sociais existentes entre sexos e estratos sociais.
A sua escrita continua a seguir a mesma linha, uma escrita simples e directa, que torna a leitura interessante e cativante, pois não apresenta informação a mais. “Mary Anne” torna-se ainda mais interessante pela sua componente histórica, com muitos jogos políticos e corrupção que caracterizam aquela época.
February 9, 2017
Strong female vs. all the men that come in her path.
Daphne du Maurier's historical family fiction which was not her favorite of her novels but I found this just as wonderful as her other works I have read thus far. She says this reads more like a newspaper but I strongly disagree & I think she was being too harsh on herself. What I found in her story about her great grandmother who was a mistress to the Frederick the Duke of York during the Napoleonic wars was her exposing corruption on both sides & her strength in exposing all. She was not politically motivated but self interest for her & her family. Many say she was an unlikable character in history but I found her quite likeable. Enjoyed it immensely.
Daphne du Maurier's historical family fiction which was not her favorite of her novels but I found this just as wonderful as her other works I have read thus far. She says this reads more like a newspaper but I strongly disagree & I think she was being too harsh on herself. What I found in her story about her great grandmother who was a mistress to the Frederick the Duke of York during the Napoleonic wars was her exposing corruption on both sides & her strength in exposing all. She was not politically motivated but self interest for her & her family. Many say she was an unlikable character in history but I found her quite likeable. Enjoyed it immensely.
November 6, 2010
it's definitely not your typical du maurier: her imaginative powers are reined in by her account of woman's true story, a woman she was actually related to, and no doubt her acting family relished the connection to the mistress of the duke of york who had pulled herself out of the gutter. it's not what i look for in a du maurier novel but up until the endless courtroom scenes that make up the last three quarters of the book, she kept me interested. i found jamaica inn much less palatable than this one. :)
July 28, 2024
Review from 2015
A for narration / B for content, so that's a solid 4.5 stars
Written in 1951, Mary Anne is the fictionalised account of the life of Mrs Mary Anne Clarke, who was the author’s great-grandmother, and who is famous principally for being the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York (second son of King George III).
Mary Anne Thompson was born in 1776 in the East End of London, and by her twenties, had become one of the most famous courtesans in London. Before I wrote this review, I looked her up on the internet, and quickly discovered that there are discrepancies between what is actually known of her early life, and how Ms du Maurier describes it – but as I’m reviewing the book rather than regurgitating a history lesson, it’s the author’s version I’m going to concentrate on.
Mary Anne appears to have been a precocious child, and is married young, to a handsome, seemingly well-to-do young stonemason, Joseph Clarke. Before long, the children start arriving – and Clarke is spending the majority of their income on drink. Before long the Clarkes are bankrupt and, with four young children to support, Mary Anne – who has already attracted the notice of a number of well-heeled and powerful men – sees a way to live well and provide for her family. She leaves Clarke and, following a number of affairs with prominent men, becomes the mistress of the Duke of York.
It’s a well-known fact that George kept his sons on a tight rein financially, and York was unable to furnish Mary Anne with funds sufficient to support the style in which he expected to live. She has to have a house in the best area of London for which she has to pay all expenses – it wouldn’t do to expect a royal prince to eat off anything less than the best silver or not have enough servants at his beck and call. Life as a royal mistress is expensive, and Mary Anne very soon has to find a way of making extra money to supplement the meagre income given to her by the duke.
His position as Commander-in-Chief of the Army provides those means when officers began to approach her to ask her to put in a good word with the duke, and are prepared to pay quite handsomely for her assistance. This continues for a number of years, until suddenly, Clarke reappears (Mary Anne had represented herself as a widow) and threatens to make a huge scandal if she does not return to him. The duke instantly cools towards her, not wanting anything to disturb his easy life, and soon after, he ends their relationship. When the small stipend he had promised her is never paid, and he reneges on his promises to help her children, Mary Anne, urged by the duke’s political enemies, testifies about her having brokered commissions and other military positions before the House of Commons, stating she had acted with the duke’s knowledge and compliance. I’m not sure if this was actually the case, but the duke was forced to resign his position as Commander-in-Chief as a result, although he was later re-instated. Unfortunately for Mary Anne, however, in her attempt to extract what she considers to be a decent sum of money in exchange for her suppression of the duke’s letters, she overreaches herself and has to spend time in prison. After that, she moves to France, where she lives until her death in 1852.
I found the first two thirds of the book to be the most compelling, as we follow Mary Anne from her childhood through to her life with the Duke of York, which is very well depicted. The opening, in which the important men in her life reminisce about her is absolutely beautiful – and worth revisiting when the book is finished, as we have now “lived through” some of the events referenced therein.
The latter part, which is largely taken up with the court case, and which presumably makes use of actual testimonies, isn’t uninteresting, but it does slow the pacing a little and I found my attention wandering on occasion. Nonetheless, Mary Anne is a compelling portrait of an ambitious woman who did what she had to do in order to survive in a man’s world and provide for her family. Born into poverty, she found a way out of it, and grabbed it with both hands.
Carole Boyd’s narration is absolutely excellent in terms of both narrative and characterisation. Her voice falls naturally into the mezzo range so she is able to perform the male characters convincingly without sounding strained, and her portrayal of Mary Anne herself is superb, her bright, musical tones expertly convening the backbone of steel that lies beneath the coquettish exterior. All the characters are convincingly portrayed according to sex and class, although there were times, here and there, where some of the male characters sounded rather similar. It was never a problem, however, as those similarities are limited to men who never appear in the same scenes together, so there is no problem working out who is speaking. Her interpretation of the Duke of York paints him as a large, bluff man who likes his home comforts, while Mary Anne’s long-term friend and lover, William Dowler, is more softly spoken, a devoted and kind man who never stopped caring for her no matter what.
My one real issue with the audiobook is with the production. A look at Audible shows this to have originally been released in 2005,while the production copyright on the audio itself is 2015. Whatever the case, when I first began listening, I was struck by how treble-heavy the sound was, and I’m not sure if this improved or I just got used to it. There are a few places where there is a sudden hike in volume, and others where there seems to be an audible “drop-in” (an editorial technique whereby a mistake is corrected by “dropping in” a re-recorded portion of text). Fortunately neither of these things happened often enough for it to have completely ruined my listening experience, but I remember one particular point at which the volume change was so great as to have almost made me jump!
Those problems and the pacing issues apart, however, I did enjoy listening to Mary Anne, and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in biographical fiction. It’s an oddity among the rest of Daphne du Maurier’s fiction, and is a book, it seems, she wasn’t especially fond of, but I found it fascinating, and often smiled at Mary Anne’s down-to-earth attitude to sex and the practical manner in which she deals with her suitors:
A for narration / B for content, so that's a solid 4.5 stars
Written in 1951, Mary Anne is the fictionalised account of the life of Mrs Mary Anne Clarke, who was the author’s great-grandmother, and who is famous principally for being the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York (second son of King George III).
Mary Anne Thompson was born in 1776 in the East End of London, and by her twenties, had become one of the most famous courtesans in London. Before I wrote this review, I looked her up on the internet, and quickly discovered that there are discrepancies between what is actually known of her early life, and how Ms du Maurier describes it – but as I’m reviewing the book rather than regurgitating a history lesson, it’s the author’s version I’m going to concentrate on.
Mary Anne appears to have been a precocious child, and is married young, to a handsome, seemingly well-to-do young stonemason, Joseph Clarke. Before long, the children start arriving – and Clarke is spending the majority of their income on drink. Before long the Clarkes are bankrupt and, with four young children to support, Mary Anne – who has already attracted the notice of a number of well-heeled and powerful men – sees a way to live well and provide for her family. She leaves Clarke and, following a number of affairs with prominent men, becomes the mistress of the Duke of York.
It’s a well-known fact that George kept his sons on a tight rein financially, and York was unable to furnish Mary Anne with funds sufficient to support the style in which he expected to live. She has to have a house in the best area of London for which she has to pay all expenses – it wouldn’t do to expect a royal prince to eat off anything less than the best silver or not have enough servants at his beck and call. Life as a royal mistress is expensive, and Mary Anne very soon has to find a way of making extra money to supplement the meagre income given to her by the duke.
His position as Commander-in-Chief of the Army provides those means when officers began to approach her to ask her to put in a good word with the duke, and are prepared to pay quite handsomely for her assistance. This continues for a number of years, until suddenly, Clarke reappears (Mary Anne had represented herself as a widow) and threatens to make a huge scandal if she does not return to him. The duke instantly cools towards her, not wanting anything to disturb his easy life, and soon after, he ends their relationship. When the small stipend he had promised her is never paid, and he reneges on his promises to help her children, Mary Anne, urged by the duke’s political enemies, testifies about her having brokered commissions and other military positions before the House of Commons, stating she had acted with the duke’s knowledge and compliance. I’m not sure if this was actually the case, but the duke was forced to resign his position as Commander-in-Chief as a result, although he was later re-instated. Unfortunately for Mary Anne, however, in her attempt to extract what she considers to be a decent sum of money in exchange for her suppression of the duke’s letters, she overreaches herself and has to spend time in prison. After that, she moves to France, where she lives until her death in 1852.
I found the first two thirds of the book to be the most compelling, as we follow Mary Anne from her childhood through to her life with the Duke of York, which is very well depicted. The opening, in which the important men in her life reminisce about her is absolutely beautiful – and worth revisiting when the book is finished, as we have now “lived through” some of the events referenced therein.
The latter part, which is largely taken up with the court case, and which presumably makes use of actual testimonies, isn’t uninteresting, but it does slow the pacing a little and I found my attention wandering on occasion. Nonetheless, Mary Anne is a compelling portrait of an ambitious woman who did what she had to do in order to survive in a man’s world and provide for her family. Born into poverty, she found a way out of it, and grabbed it with both hands.
Carole Boyd’s narration is absolutely excellent in terms of both narrative and characterisation. Her voice falls naturally into the mezzo range so she is able to perform the male characters convincingly without sounding strained, and her portrayal of Mary Anne herself is superb, her bright, musical tones expertly convening the backbone of steel that lies beneath the coquettish exterior. All the characters are convincingly portrayed according to sex and class, although there were times, here and there, where some of the male characters sounded rather similar. It was never a problem, however, as those similarities are limited to men who never appear in the same scenes together, so there is no problem working out who is speaking. Her interpretation of the Duke of York paints him as a large, bluff man who likes his home comforts, while Mary Anne’s long-term friend and lover, William Dowler, is more softly spoken, a devoted and kind man who never stopped caring for her no matter what.
My one real issue with the audiobook is with the production. A look at Audible shows this to have originally been released in 2005,while the production copyright on the audio itself is 2015. Whatever the case, when I first began listening, I was struck by how treble-heavy the sound was, and I’m not sure if this improved or I just got used to it. There are a few places where there is a sudden hike in volume, and others where there seems to be an audible “drop-in” (an editorial technique whereby a mistake is corrected by “dropping in” a re-recorded portion of text). Fortunately neither of these things happened often enough for it to have completely ruined my listening experience, but I remember one particular point at which the volume change was so great as to have almost made me jump!
Those problems and the pacing issues apart, however, I did enjoy listening to Mary Anne, and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in biographical fiction. It’s an oddity among the rest of Daphne du Maurier’s fiction, and is a book, it seems, she wasn’t especially fond of, but I found it fascinating, and often smiled at Mary Anne’s down-to-earth attitude to sex and the practical manner in which she deals with her suitors:
“I came to wish you goodnight.”
She knew what that meant—she’d been through it dozens of times. Not with his Radical Lordship, but with others. All aboveboard for five minutes, a stroking of hands, murmurs and whispers; and then a hurried request. Best get it over and done with, then pack him off home. Pretend an ecstatic fatigue—it generally worked. He’d slip off to bed believing he’d conquered the world.
April 1, 2024
Mary Anne Clarke, główna bohaterka tej książki, to postać historyczna i prababka autorki - córka Mary Anne Clarke, Ellen, poślubiła Louisa Mathurin Busson du Maurier.
Mary Anne Clarke urodziła się 3 kwietnia 1776 roku w Londynie, w bardzo biednej rodzinie. Była kobietą o wielkich ambicjach i postanowiła wyrwać się z tej biedy za wszelką cenę. Młodo wyszła za mąż, jednak jej narzeczony ukrył przed nią faktyczny stan swego majątku. W związku z tym małżeństwo nie było udane i Mary Anne odeszła od męża zabierając też dzieci. Jej sytuacja finansowa była wtedy bardzo zła, a potrzeby dość wygórowane. W 1803 roku kobieta została kochanką Fryderyka Augusta Hanowerskiego, księcia Yorku i brytyjskiego marszałka. Ich związek zakończył się jednak wielkim skandalem politycznym. „Metresa” opowiada historię życia Mary Anne Clarke.
Początek książki bardzo mnie wynudził, a momentami wręcz irytował. Młoda kobieta, która bardzo chce się wyrwać z biedy, zamiast zabrać się za uczciwą pracę najpierw liczy na bogatego męża, a jak ten plan nie wypala – zostaje utrzymanką. Scenariusz dla mnie nieakceptowalny, więc postać głównej bohaterki już na samym początku została przeze mnie skreślona. W związku z czym zupełnie nie obchodziły mnie jej perypetie związane z finansowaniem wystawnego życia czy naciąganiem naiwnych mężczyzn. W drugiej części opisany jest skandal polityczny oraz proces, w jakim brała udział główna bohaterka, więc było trochę ciekawiej.
Mary Anne Clarke jest dla mnie postacią o wątpliwej moralności i nieznośnym podejściu do życia, w związku z czym lekturę jej biografii zaliczam do męczarni psychicznych.
5/10
Mary Anne Clarke urodziła się 3 kwietnia 1776 roku w Londynie, w bardzo biednej rodzinie. Była kobietą o wielkich ambicjach i postanowiła wyrwać się z tej biedy za wszelką cenę. Młodo wyszła za mąż, jednak jej narzeczony ukrył przed nią faktyczny stan swego majątku. W związku z tym małżeństwo nie było udane i Mary Anne odeszła od męża zabierając też dzieci. Jej sytuacja finansowa była wtedy bardzo zła, a potrzeby dość wygórowane. W 1803 roku kobieta została kochanką Fryderyka Augusta Hanowerskiego, księcia Yorku i brytyjskiego marszałka. Ich związek zakończył się jednak wielkim skandalem politycznym. „Metresa” opowiada historię życia Mary Anne Clarke.
Początek książki bardzo mnie wynudził, a momentami wręcz irytował. Młoda kobieta, która bardzo chce się wyrwać z biedy, zamiast zabrać się za uczciwą pracę najpierw liczy na bogatego męża, a jak ten plan nie wypala – zostaje utrzymanką. Scenariusz dla mnie nieakceptowalny, więc postać głównej bohaterki już na samym początku została przeze mnie skreślona. W związku z czym zupełnie nie obchodziły mnie jej perypetie związane z finansowaniem wystawnego życia czy naciąganiem naiwnych mężczyzn. W drugiej części opisany jest skandal polityczny oraz proces, w jakim brała udział główna bohaterka, więc było trochę ciekawiej.
Mary Anne Clarke jest dla mnie postacią o wątpliwej moralności i nieznośnym podejściu do życia, w związku z czym lekturę jej biografii zaliczam do męczarni psychicznych.
5/10
October 24, 2010
I have long been looking forward to reading this book. I love reading about the regency period, love Daphne du Maurier and add in the interesting notion that du Maurier is writing about her own great-great-grandmother and this seemed to have the potential to be a very good read indeed. However it is also one of her novels that is most capable of polarizing her readers. Du Maurier herself did not consider it one of her best novels and in the somewhat lukewarm introduction in the edition I was reading, Lisa Hilton says the book "never quite manages to achieve the dullness its creator so harshly claimed for it". Should you let this put you off?
In a word: No.
The book tells the story of Mary Anne Clark, who is born in a dingy part of the East End of London, marries a charming mason at 16, whose later drunkeness makes her take their children and leave him. Becoming a "friend" of men in high places she eventually becomes the mistress of Prince Frederick Augustus, the Duke of York and Commander-in-Chief of the British army. While at this point you may assume that she has made it, in reality the prince lives far beyond his means, and more to the point for Mary Anne, above the means he provides for her. In a time of war on the Continent, with men eager to pay (illegally) for military commissions, she uses her influence with her royal lover to place a word in his ear. When he tires of her, her heavy debts, lack of promised pension and unfair cashiering of her brother from the army proves too much and she becomes a leading light in the parliamentary campaign to force his resignation. He is the first in a line of revenge attacks as she struggles to provide for her own future and that of her children. Ultimately, things do not go according to plan.
Mary Anne is the type of character you either love or hate, but for me she seemed a realistic portrayal. She highlights the difficulties that faced women in the past who needed to make their own futures. With no opportunity to train for a profession, but having the gift of looks and charm, Mary Anne rises to the top of one of the few opportunities avaliable to her. This is a half-hidden world that is rarely covered by other novels set in the Regency period, most of which focus on romances among the "Upper Ten Thousand" from which so many, like Mary Anne, are excluded, living at best on its edges: disposable and supposedly easily disregarded. Some, like the famous courtesan Harriette Wilson, picked up their pen, and like Mary Anne herself, fought back.
Ultimately this is a story about ambition, the rise and fall of a lower class woman in a class-ridden, male-dominated world, and about a woman struggling to provide for her family. And doubtless, many other themes as well. The beginning and the end of the book are both highlights of the novel. The scenes where she says a final goodbye to her prince are incredibly poignant. The scenes where she first meets the Duke of York had me laughing and cringing at the same time. Even the court scenes which dominate the second half of the novel didn't bore me. I found it very hard to put this book down, and would highly recommend it to other readers.
In a word: No.
The book tells the story of Mary Anne Clark, who is born in a dingy part of the East End of London, marries a charming mason at 16, whose later drunkeness makes her take their children and leave him. Becoming a "friend" of men in high places she eventually becomes the mistress of Prince Frederick Augustus, the Duke of York and Commander-in-Chief of the British army. While at this point you may assume that she has made it, in reality the prince lives far beyond his means, and more to the point for Mary Anne, above the means he provides for her. In a time of war on the Continent, with men eager to pay (illegally) for military commissions, she uses her influence with her royal lover to place a word in his ear. When he tires of her, her heavy debts, lack of promised pension and unfair cashiering of her brother from the army proves too much and she becomes a leading light in the parliamentary campaign to force his resignation. He is the first in a line of revenge attacks as she struggles to provide for her own future and that of her children. Ultimately, things do not go according to plan.
Mary Anne is the type of character you either love or hate, but for me she seemed a realistic portrayal. She highlights the difficulties that faced women in the past who needed to make their own futures. With no opportunity to train for a profession, but having the gift of looks and charm, Mary Anne rises to the top of one of the few opportunities avaliable to her. This is a half-hidden world that is rarely covered by other novels set in the Regency period, most of which focus on romances among the "Upper Ten Thousand" from which so many, like Mary Anne, are excluded, living at best on its edges: disposable and supposedly easily disregarded. Some, like the famous courtesan Harriette Wilson, picked up their pen, and like Mary Anne herself, fought back.
Ultimately this is a story about ambition, the rise and fall of a lower class woman in a class-ridden, male-dominated world, and about a woman struggling to provide for her family. And doubtless, many other themes as well. The beginning and the end of the book are both highlights of the novel. The scenes where she says a final goodbye to her prince are incredibly poignant. The scenes where she first meets the Duke of York had me laughing and cringing at the same time. Even the court scenes which dominate the second half of the novel didn't bore me. I found it very hard to put this book down, and would highly recommend it to other readers.
July 3, 2011
In a word, dull.
It started out so well. The first chapter is well written, taut, and promises the intriguing tale of a social climber and her downfall. Then, in an excellent reversal of expectations, the first 100 or so pages tell instead the story of an extremely relatable, even heroic girl who is fighting against all odds to make some kind of decent life for herself, who falls in love, and gets wrapped up in the things beyond her control. I especially liked that she was depicted as a good and faithful mother, which again plays havoc with the expectations set up in the first chapter. It drew me in. I like Mary Anne in these chapters.
However, it begins to go downhill around part two. First off, the very straightforward but elegant writing style of the first part is replaced with run-on sentences and disjointed snippets of conversation. It became hard to follow the 'action', because there was none described. If the dialogue had been well-written, this would have still made for a compelling narrative, but the dialogue was trite and difficult to attach to the correct speaker.
This fault pales in comparison to the change that takes place in Mary Anne herself. She becomes wrapped up in the politics of late 18th/early 19th century England, and transforms from a determined and charming girl to a spoiled, conniving socialite. Her fall from grace is a compelling plot point, but in the aftermath of it, she comes off as a helpless, complaining bitch. Her affection for her children hardens to the point that they become but footnotes in her self-absorbed little struggle. I shuddered for them, for their lives, with such a parent. In part one, when faced with adversity, Mary Anne met the challenges with ingenuity and a feminist outlook. Now, she leeches onto others and apparently becomes allergic to doing an honest day's work.
Before the book was even halfway done, I had lost all sympathy of Mary Anne, and stopped reading.
As a side note, the marketing of this edition was somewhat sneaky - the quotes on the back, the packaging, and so on, gave the impression that this was a new novel, when in fact this book was published in 1954. The style does seem more contemporary, so perhaps in this sense du Maruier was ahead of her time.
It started out so well. The first chapter is well written, taut, and promises the intriguing tale of a social climber and her downfall. Then, in an excellent reversal of expectations, the first 100 or so pages tell instead the story of an extremely relatable, even heroic girl who is fighting against all odds to make some kind of decent life for herself, who falls in love, and gets wrapped up in the things beyond her control. I especially liked that she was depicted as a good and faithful mother, which again plays havoc with the expectations set up in the first chapter. It drew me in. I like Mary Anne in these chapters.
However, it begins to go downhill around part two. First off, the very straightforward but elegant writing style of the first part is replaced with run-on sentences and disjointed snippets of conversation. It became hard to follow the 'action', because there was none described. If the dialogue had been well-written, this would have still made for a compelling narrative, but the dialogue was trite and difficult to attach to the correct speaker.
This fault pales in comparison to the change that takes place in Mary Anne herself. She becomes wrapped up in the politics of late 18th/early 19th century England, and transforms from a determined and charming girl to a spoiled, conniving socialite. Her fall from grace is a compelling plot point, but in the aftermath of it, she comes off as a helpless, complaining bitch. Her affection for her children hardens to the point that they become but footnotes in her self-absorbed little struggle. I shuddered for them, for their lives, with such a parent. In part one, when faced with adversity, Mary Anne met the challenges with ingenuity and a feminist outlook. Now, she leeches onto others and apparently becomes allergic to doing an honest day's work.
Before the book was even halfway done, I had lost all sympathy of Mary Anne, and stopped reading.
As a side note, the marketing of this edition was somewhat sneaky - the quotes on the back, the packaging, and so on, gave the impression that this was a new novel, when in fact this book was published in 1954. The style does seem more contemporary, so perhaps in this sense du Maruier was ahead of her time.
July 18, 2012
I am a massive Du Maurier fan, so this is going to be very biased and no surprise that I really enjoyed it.
Mary Anne is a historical novel based on Du Maurier's great-great-grandmother, who was the mistress of Fredrick, Duke of York. Later on when the relationship fizzled out, she testified against him in the House of Commons that she had sold army commissions and that he knew all about it. This is the main focus of the story although it charts both her life before the Duke and touches on her being prosecuted for libel (which she was imprisoned for) and her time in France.
There's no doubt about it, Mary Anne Clarke is a fascinating woman and makes for a wonderful main character. Du Maurier brings her to life and makes her into a feisty, independent woman and portrays all her bad attributes as well as her good. She is probably the most feminist of all the Du Maurier characters I've read. She doesn't need a man and is determined to make it herself. Her precarious position as mistresses meant that she could be cast off at any time, a fate which not only happened to her but many many mistresses of the nobility.
The only downside is that after part 3, the writing style changes and it starts to read more like a newspaper. Du Maurier herself criticized the book for this very reason (Mary Anne was one of her least favourite novels). It really gives the novel a disjointed feel and it's a pity because we start to lose Mary Anne's character and the well written pace of the previous two parts. It never fully recovers although the ending comes close.
Mary Anne is a historical novel based on Du Maurier's great-great-grandmother, who was the mistress of Fredrick, Duke of York. Later on when the relationship fizzled out, she testified against him in the House of Commons that she had sold army commissions and that he knew all about it. This is the main focus of the story although it charts both her life before the Duke and touches on her being prosecuted for libel (which she was imprisoned for) and her time in France.
There's no doubt about it, Mary Anne Clarke is a fascinating woman and makes for a wonderful main character. Du Maurier brings her to life and makes her into a feisty, independent woman and portrays all her bad attributes as well as her good. She is probably the most feminist of all the Du Maurier characters I've read. She doesn't need a man and is determined to make it herself. Her precarious position as mistresses meant that she could be cast off at any time, a fate which not only happened to her but many many mistresses of the nobility.
The only downside is that after part 3, the writing style changes and it starts to read more like a newspaper. Du Maurier herself criticized the book for this very reason (Mary Anne was one of her least favourite novels). It really gives the novel a disjointed feel and it's a pity because we start to lose Mary Anne's character and the well written pace of the previous two parts. It never fully recovers although the ending comes close.
November 25, 2021
In 1954, 102 years after her death, Daphne Du Maurier memorialized her great-great-grandmother, Mary Anne (Thompson) Clarke in this historical novel. Born into poverty, Mary Anne was smart, talented and ambitious. Despite a hasty marriage to a drunkard, Mary Anne parlayed her intelligence and charm into a series of sexual and romantic liaisons and ultimately to a multi-year position as mistress to the Duke of York. The novel is surprisingly frank about sexuality for 1954, albeit not explicit. Scandal and reversals ultimately overtake her, but Du Maurier's sympathy for her ancestor and subject never shades into judgement. The novel has a very clear-eyed understanding that, in the world of Regency London--and indeed, before and after--under patriarchy a woman's options could be limited and indeed Mary Anne made choices that she thought were the only ways she had to ensure the security of her family. The men around Mary Anne hold most of the cards and are content to use her--or any other woman--for their own ends. Mary Anne's lack of naïveté and her understanding of the long game is admirable and refreshing; and the novel leaves us with a glimpse of a self-aware, indomitable spirit who can still take pleasure in life itself.
July 4, 2016
Like Forever Amber or Gone with the Wind but not as rich. Good as far as it went, but it felt like the Cliff's Notes version -- should have been three times as long with lots more detail to really let you get inside the character's head, understand why men were obsessed with her, why she made the choices she did, what she felt about them. Without that it all feels a bit shallow and I ended up feeling more than a little sympathy with Mary Anne's children's opinion of her.
July 23, 2019
One of Daphne’s weaker novels. I’m here for the melodramatic mistress who brings down a prince, not here for pages and pages describing her bills, legal wrangling, and printed letters in early nineteenth century newspapers.
May 9, 2018
This was the most interesting book I read all week. And it isn't even solely because of the story; it is because of the history behind the story. Mary Anne was Daphne du Maurier's Great great grandmother. And that is where this became very interesting.
I am not sure how much of the truth has been changed, as this reads like a novel. The structure is there and familiar. And let's be honest, art does not imitate life when it comes to the story arc. But it does make for interesting reading. There are parts that are slower - understandable. And there was a part that was skipped over that I would have liked to have fleshed out more - but maybe that is because I do not know what du Maurier knows about that experience.
On a whole though, this novel speaks volumes about the limitations women experienced in the past. Mary Anne was an exceptionally intelligent woman, and yet, after one silly mistake (marrying the wrong guy) her options to look after herself and her children were extremely limited. That was also very interesting to read.
I think I am going to save the rest of my thoughts for a video.
I am not sure how much of the truth has been changed, as this reads like a novel. The structure is there and familiar. And let's be honest, art does not imitate life when it comes to the story arc. But it does make for interesting reading. There are parts that are slower - understandable. And there was a part that was skipped over that I would have liked to have fleshed out more - but maybe that is because I do not know what du Maurier knows about that experience.
On a whole though, this novel speaks volumes about the limitations women experienced in the past. Mary Anne was an exceptionally intelligent woman, and yet, after one silly mistake (marrying the wrong guy) her options to look after herself and her children were extremely limited. That was also very interesting to read.
I think I am going to save the rest of my thoughts for a video.
August 30, 2021
An interesting story of the life of Mary Anne Clarke, relating how she rose in society and also how she fell.
I found Mary Anne to be a remarkable woman. She knew she had wit and beauty enough to reach the situations she wanted and she took them. She hooks a royal duke and lives relatively well for a while, doing something not quite legal on the sides. But everything comes with a price and those situations didn't last for long. I highligthed tons of her witty thoughts! A woman who knew herself and tried to improve her family's conditions. However, she could be naive, which made her actions her own downfall.
The book not only deals with the life of Mary Anne, but it also relates how the way of living used to be during the early Regency era. The book includes many political details, which made it a bit complicated to follow, specially during the investigation that Mary Anne had to experience, but it was worth it. Du Maurier closes the book perfectly, with Mary Anne saying goodbye to the man who started it all and being at peace with herself.
I found Mary Anne to be a remarkable woman. She knew she had wit and beauty enough to reach the situations she wanted and she took them. She hooks a royal duke and lives relatively well for a while, doing something not quite legal on the sides. But everything comes with a price and those situations didn't last for long. I highligthed tons of her witty thoughts! A woman who knew herself and tried to improve her family's conditions. However, she could be naive, which made her actions her own downfall.
The book not only deals with the life of Mary Anne, but it also relates how the way of living used to be during the early Regency era. The book includes many political details, which made it a bit complicated to follow, specially during the investigation that Mary Anne had to experience, but it was worth it. Du Maurier closes the book perfectly, with Mary Anne saying goodbye to the man who started it all and being at peace with herself.
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