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Four Great Cornish Novels
Four complete and unabridged books by Daphne DuMaurier published separately now combined in one volume. First Edition published in 1980, this book is the Third Impression published in 1983.
852 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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354 people want to read
About the author
Daphne du Maurier
433 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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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 21, 2015
I've read and reviewed the here collected books individually in the past and collecting these four in a volume of course gets a high rating from me; Jamaica Inn is a wonderfully told pirate story, filmed by Hitchcock in 1939. Frenchman's Creek is a historical romance and probably the least good of the lot, if one must be singled out - but it is well worth reading, not in the least because of du Maurier's wonderful narrative. Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel are both outstanding mystery thrillers and cannot be too recommended.
January 18, 2020
After reading JAMAICA INN, I could confirm that my reading taste has changed over the years, but it also has remained the same. That is, the flowery (for lack of a better word) language that Daphne DuMaurier uses and the sexist remarks scattered here and there irritated me in 2016 while I accepted both when I read REBECCA in 1969. But, after a while, I just enjoyed the story and accepted it as it was written in the 1940s.
Mary, the main character of JAMAICA INN, has come to Jamaica Inn to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother's death. Her uncle turns out to be a horrible man who Mary comes to detest. Mary learns, usually through deliberate snooping but sometimes against her will, her uncle's business.
DuMaurier clearly intended to show that Mary is above the usual role cut out for the 19th century woman. Even so, in order to enjoy this novel, the reader still has to accept that it was written with 1940s sensibilities.
Mary, the main character of JAMAICA INN, has come to Jamaica Inn to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother's death. Her uncle turns out to be a horrible man who Mary comes to detest. Mary learns, usually through deliberate snooping but sometimes against her will, her uncle's business.
DuMaurier clearly intended to show that Mary is above the usual role cut out for the 19th century woman. Even so, in order to enjoy this novel, the reader still has to accept that it was written with 1940s sensibilities.
May 5, 2019
I've just finished My Cousin Rachel for the first time (having already read Rebecca and Frenchman's Creek before, and LOVING them). Wow. Du Maurier is the absolute master of building suspicion and paranoia for the reader, whilst telling the story through the eyes of a young, naive protagonist. We are never really sure what is real and what is imagined. And of course, all set against the beautiful and wild backdrop of the Cornish coast. Amazing writing. This book was a real page-turner!
I'll have to read Jamaica Inn next!
Update, 5 May 2019: just read Jamaica Inn on our Minimoon in St Ives and WOW!!! It has definitely solidified Du Maurier in my mind as one of the greatest novelists ever. Brilliant writing, embedded in the Cornish landscape (which is almost a character in its own right), with so much suspense and atmosphere again. Wonderful storytelling, and another fantastic, complex female protagonist.
I'll have to read Jamaica Inn next!
Update, 5 May 2019: just read Jamaica Inn on our Minimoon in St Ives and WOW!!! It has definitely solidified Du Maurier in my mind as one of the greatest novelists ever. Brilliant writing, embedded in the Cornish landscape (which is almost a character in its own right), with so much suspense and atmosphere again. Wonderful storytelling, and another fantastic, complex female protagonist.
November 21, 2013
I finally finished Jamaica Inn! It took me forever to get into the book. Daphne du Maurier is a master at describing scenery but sometimes there is a little too much and I get bogged down. Still a wonderful grouping of books and I enjoyed them all in different ways.
August 14, 2013
I love the way she writes and the plot twists!
August 25, 2021
***I will update this review and rating as I read more of the stories contained herein. For now, this rating and review is only for Jamaica Inn.***
JAMAICA INN
As a fan of Hitchcock, I'm necessarily familiar with du Maurier, but mostly because of Hitch's adaptation of her stories. His adaptation of Jamaica Inn was not one of his best works, but I would argue it's not one of du Maurier's either. This was a reading experience in which I was transported by the language to a clear geographical location which played a role in the story, as Thomas Hardy and the Brontes have done for me before, but which offered a generally flat plot and wholly unsatisfactory ending. Du Maurier is a good writer, that's clear in the writing. But great reads aren't just fun to experience, they feel "right" in all aspects, particularly in the ending, and du Maurier did not set the stage for the ending that she delivered.
Mary Yellan joins Fanny Price in my personal pantheon of disappointing female protagonists.
JAMAICA INN
As a fan of Hitchcock, I'm necessarily familiar with du Maurier, but mostly because of Hitch's adaptation of her stories. His adaptation of Jamaica Inn was not one of his best works, but I would argue it's not one of du Maurier's either. This was a reading experience in which I was transported by the language to a clear geographical location which played a role in the story, as Thomas Hardy and the Brontes have done for me before, but which offered a generally flat plot and wholly unsatisfactory ending. Du Maurier is a good writer, that's clear in the writing. But great reads aren't just fun to experience, they feel "right" in all aspects, particularly in the ending, and du Maurier did not set the stage for the ending that she delivered.
Mary Yellan joins Fanny Price in my personal pantheon of disappointing female protagonists.
January 26, 2018
Years ago I read Jamaica Inn by du Maurier and loved it so when this book was offered on sale by Audible, I bought it. Another marvelous read. Daphne du Maurier writes beautifully and creates characters that are interesting. The story was timeless. I recommend this book.
January 26, 2020
I have read all of them before. Except My Cousin Rachel...
And what a treat. I was in angst about that silly Philip and seeing him ruined. And I couldn't foresee how everything will be remedied. Great holiday read.
And what a treat. I was in angst about that silly Philip and seeing him ruined. And I couldn't foresee how everything will be remedied. Great holiday read.
April 25, 2025
I read Jamaica Inn as a teenager and it remains an all time favourite. Hitchcock's film of Rebecca is likewise a favourite. So I thought I knew what I was in for when my bookclub chose to read Rebecca. Ha! I was as naive as the second Mrs de Winter. The Master of Suspense has nothing on du Maurier.
October 16, 2017
This book is a little dated but I really enjoyed it. The " love story" is more about entrapment than love. The author keeps you in suspense concerning the ending- which by the way I liked.
July 14, 2020
Just love this cannot say how much. She's incredible. Such atmosphere.
April 20, 2021
Great to revisit these books, wonderful stories. Rebecca and Frenchman’s Creek were my favorites.
September 21, 2024
Solid classic. Flawed character portrayal, set on the Cornish coast.
March 5, 2025
Here are a selected works of Daphne du Maurier, a great series for anyone who likes reading her.
June 17, 2014
I just read an NPR article on Book Lists based on transportation themes. Really fun pairing of books you don't think of as related (Anna Karenina and The Little Engine that Could). In the sailing category is listed Frenchman's Creek as "the most romantic book you will ever read". I could not find it listed separately on Goodreads, but I have read all three of these novels, so I picked this as the book to review. Frenchman's Creek....my mom suggested it to me one boring summer afternoon when I was about 15 or 16. Oh WOW! What a way to dream away disappointing adolescence. And I can remember the conversation after I finished about why Dona made the choice she did. I just pulled my mother's copy off my bookshelf. "Patricia Hoskins, October 29. 1943" I think I will read it again! A French pirate...what could be better!
August 17, 2016
I LOVED My Cousin Rachel. Du Maurier has a way of bringing out scenes and characters that make them feel like they will leap off the page right at you. The way she uses the first few sentences as the last few sentences, is brilliant.
Of course, we are left to wonder just who was Rachel? She appeared so charming. What lay beneath? As the story was drawing to its end, I had no idea how it would conclude, until that little conversation with one of the sunken garden builders.
This is memorable writing! Go, have yourself a good read!
Of course, we are left to wonder just who was Rachel? She appeared so charming. What lay beneath? As the story was drawing to its end, I had no idea how it would conclude, until that little conversation with one of the sunken garden builders.
This is memorable writing! Go, have yourself a good read!
February 12, 2012
I'll try to remember to write more later!
Want to read
January 7, 2014My Cousin Rachel : riveting,quick read,poetry in prose but left me sad. Will wait to reread others...
Read
May 6, 2013frenchman's creek...
September 10, 2014
I read Frenchman's Creek at the recommendation of an article on NPR. Per reviews on Amazon, I skimmed the first chapter (yawn!). The rest of this novel was a perfect beach read! Enjoy!
April 25, 2015
Great! Only one part (the white dress) I expected to be coming, but the rest kept me guessing.
August 31, 2015
Rebecca - 5 stars
Jamaica Inn - 3 stars
Frenchman's Creek - 3 stars
My Cousin Rachel - 4 stars
Jamaica Inn - 3 stars
Frenchman's Creek - 3 stars
My Cousin Rachel - 4 stars
August 25, 2011
I only read Rebecca (partly read, and part audio- audio was great!) I enjoyed the book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews