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Don't Look Now
'Now, ill-lit, almost in darkness, the windows of the houses shuttered, the water dank, the scene appeared altogether different, neglected, poor, and the long narrow boots moored to the slippery steps of cellar entrances looked like coffins.'
A slow-burning masterpiece of horror recounting a grieving couple's fateful visit to Venice, Don't Look Now is accompanied here by four further short tales of desire and dread.
A slow-burning masterpiece of horror recounting a grieving couple's fateful visit to Venice, Don't Look Now is accompanied here by four further short tales of desire and dread.
304 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2016
6 people are currently reading
228 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 17, 2021
Quite the collection of thrillers. Not only did these short stories take me on a metaphysical haunted theme park ride but I took pleasure in travelling alongside true power of imagination and awe.
The ideas behind most of these stories express themselves as very fresh and intelligent, especially the first ‘Don’t look now’ the second ‘Not after Midnight’ & the last ‘The Breakthrough’, being surprisingly complex for short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these with the total confusion and dire end of the first story, the serene setting but interminable tension build leading to eventual horror of the second and the completely insane actions of the last; keeping me hooked throughout.
I rate du Maurier’s novels highly for all the reasons stated above and more, and these stories are equal to those that I’ve read, even, perhaps offering increasingly creepier thrills to the reader.
The ideas behind most of these stories express themselves as very fresh and intelligent, especially the first ‘Don’t look now’ the second ‘Not after Midnight’ & the last ‘The Breakthrough’, being surprisingly complex for short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these with the total confusion and dire end of the first story, the serene setting but interminable tension build leading to eventual horror of the second and the completely insane actions of the last; keeping me hooked throughout.
I rate du Maurier’s novels highly for all the reasons stated above and more, and these stories are equal to those that I’ve read, even, perhaps offering increasingly creepier thrills to the reader.
April 3, 2018
What a stirring collection of short stories, which were all very visual reads. Du Maurier does a great job of describing enough to set the scene without getting bogged down in the details.
Don't Look Now: This was probably my least favourite, it was fairly depressing and had a disappointing ending. I wanted the supernatural elements to be further explored.
Not After Midnight: I really liked the suspense set up by the isolated location in this story.
A Border-Line Case: This one will stick with me for a while. The desire/horror/intrigue mash-up was very interesting and du Maurier played with it expertly. Great twist of an ending.
The Way of the Cross: Possibly my favourite. I loved the subtle way in which du Maurier bounces the main players off each other causing friction and tension. Vivid descriptions.
The Breakthrough: Disturbing and quite sad. She didn't dwell too much on character and some characters didn't have enough of a backstory or explanation attached.
Don't Look Now: This was probably my least favourite, it was fairly depressing and had a disappointing ending. I wanted the supernatural elements to be further explored.
Not After Midnight: I really liked the suspense set up by the isolated location in this story.
A Border-Line Case: This one will stick with me for a while. The desire/horror/intrigue mash-up was very interesting and du Maurier played with it expertly. Great twist of an ending.
The Way of the Cross: Possibly my favourite. I loved the subtle way in which du Maurier bounces the main players off each other causing friction and tension. Vivid descriptions.
The Breakthrough: Disturbing and quite sad. She didn't dwell too much on character and some characters didn't have enough of a backstory or explanation attached.
September 15, 2024
All five of these novelettes/novellas depict varying shades of psychological distress in exotic locales. Du Maurier offers an array of variations on this theme—bad vacations, ominous assignments, and mysterious pilgrimages—but the quintet is unified by the author's amazing ability to map internal states onto narrative movement. The title story, Don't Look Now, weaves a Gothic tapestry of grief and dread; Not After Midnight (my favorite) imbues mounting paranoia with whispers of pagan supernaturalism and mythological allusion; A Border-Line Case investigates dark familial mysteries and madness; The Way of the Cross is a quasi-Woolfian study in colliding consciousnesses; and The Breakthrough recalls Nigel Kneale in its merging of supernaturalism and scientific materialism.
March 31, 2020
4.5 stars!
This is probably one of the best collections I've come across. Not one story dipped below a 4 stars rating. While I do admit that the first three stories (Don't Look Now, Not After Midnight, A Border-Line Case) were superior, that does not suggest by any means that the last two (Way of the Cross, The Breakthrough) were dull or mediocre. I found them both to be solid stories overall.
Leave it to the talented du Maurier to deliver this satisfying combination of deliciously atmospheric mystery thrillers and thought provoking assessments of life and death. And of course everything was conveyed through du Maurier's superb prose. I would most definitely recommend this book, regardless of whether your a huge fan like I am or if you plan on dipping a toe in her works.
I look forward to her other short story collection: The Birds. That one has received more favorable ratings and if I greatly enjoyed this one I'm excited to find out how I'll like the other!
Don't Look Now- 5 stars!
Not After Midnight - 4.5 stars!
A Border-Line Case - 4.5 stars!
Way of the Cross - 4 stars!
The Breakthrough - 4 stars!
This is probably one of the best collections I've come across. Not one story dipped below a 4 stars rating. While I do admit that the first three stories (Don't Look Now, Not After Midnight, A Border-Line Case) were superior, that does not suggest by any means that the last two (Way of the Cross, The Breakthrough) were dull or mediocre. I found them both to be solid stories overall.
Leave it to the talented du Maurier to deliver this satisfying combination of deliciously atmospheric mystery thrillers and thought provoking assessments of life and death. And of course everything was conveyed through du Maurier's superb prose. I would most definitely recommend this book, regardless of whether your a huge fan like I am or if you plan on dipping a toe in her works.
I look forward to her other short story collection: The Birds. That one has received more favorable ratings and if I greatly enjoyed this one I'm excited to find out how I'll like the other!
Don't Look Now- 5 stars!
Not After Midnight - 4.5 stars!
A Border-Line Case - 4.5 stars!
Way of the Cross - 4 stars!
The Breakthrough - 4 stars!
dnf
August 13, 2024dnf @75% - was unaware this edition was WILDLY different from the nyrb version (includes a completely different collection of stories aside from the titular “dont look now) … truly angry that i got so far into this edition before i realized -__- do not make my mistake. i was fully ready to give this a dazzling one-star
May 7, 2017
"Don't Look Now" is a collection of short tales by Daphne du Maurier.
Having read "Rebecca" already, I was curious to discover this collection.
I enjoyed reading these stories that vary in theme and atmosphere, and which are all based on human desire, a desire to know more, to know what seems impossible, or to believe in something that seems impossible; stories that stress human insecurities, failures.
The first tale, "Don't Look Now", is certainly the most gripping and captivating; the last story, titled "The Breakthrough", is probably the most introspective, with human beings striving to understand and prove something that's beyond our grasp.
I also liked "The Way of the Cross", with a cunning depiction of human fragilities and peculiarities.
Having read "Rebecca" already, I was curious to discover this collection.
I enjoyed reading these stories that vary in theme and atmosphere, and which are all based on human desire, a desire to know more, to know what seems impossible, or to believe in something that seems impossible; stories that stress human insecurities, failures.
The first tale, "Don't Look Now", is certainly the most gripping and captivating; the last story, titled "The Breakthrough", is probably the most introspective, with human beings striving to understand and prove something that's beyond our grasp.
I also liked "The Way of the Cross", with a cunning depiction of human fragilities and peculiarities.
November 27, 2019
Overall: A good collection of short stories, but none of the five left a particularly long-lasting impression
Don't Look Now: I really liked the concept and I love the crescendo of the whole story, but that ending was unexpected in a way that I felt didn't really fit the story
Not After Midnight: Probably my favorite of the five, this one was very interesting and I liked the tension all through the story
A Border-Line Case: I kind of expected the story to go that way but I also didn't think it would actually go there, so I was pleasantly surprised. Another nice one
The Way of the Cross: Maybe my least favorite, I just didn't find anything that stood out about this one
The Breakthrough: I would have loved to see this idea explored a bit more, but the story as it is was still good
Don't Look Now: I really liked the concept and I love the crescendo of the whole story, but that ending was unexpected in a way that I felt didn't really fit the story
Not After Midnight: Probably my favorite of the five, this one was very interesting and I liked the tension all through the story
A Border-Line Case: I kind of expected the story to go that way but I also didn't think it would actually go there, so I was pleasantly surprised. Another nice one
The Way of the Cross: Maybe my least favorite, I just didn't find anything that stood out about this one
The Breakthrough: I would have loved to see this idea explored a bit more, but the story as it is was still good
October 11, 2020
Don't Look Now is a collection of five short stories that all have an eerie atmosphere well suited for autumn. The first two stories are very promising, especially the first one that takes its place in Venice. However, the last three stories just were mainly misses instead of hits, most of them not even chilling. I think I prefer du Maurier's novels to her short stories even though they have the signature atmosphere in them.
October 16, 2020
I unfortunately didn’t enjoy this as much as I usually do du Maurier’s work. I don’t know if it was because I’m juggling a few exceptionally amazing books, or if I just wasn’t in the mood for these particular stories.
I highly recommend The Birds as a quick glimpse into the writer’s extraordinary mind. They range from horror to psychological thriller, and leave a more satisfying note behind.
I highly recommend The Birds as a quick glimpse into the writer’s extraordinary mind. They range from horror to psychological thriller, and leave a more satisfying note behind.
July 14, 2023
The time without cellphones is indeed the best time to write mystery stories. The story starts with a couple who went to Venice to take a vacation in the hopes of moving on with their daughter's death. There, they met with two peculiar sisters whose stare seemed to bother the husband. As time passes, strange things begin to occur. I liked the story; however, I kind of predicted how things would go down.
March 3, 2023
Genuinely du Maurier’s best short fiction. Each tale is disturbing and wonderfully crafted. ‘The Way of the Cross’ is one of her strongest pieces of writing across all her works. Fantastic collection.
September 29, 2020
The first story worths 5 stars
However the rest were all disappointments
However the rest were all disappointments
October 31, 2021
Sort of expected the plot twist at the end, in a hazy way. Still a pretty cool ending though. Not as creepy as I thought it would be but very well-written. A satisfying short story for Halloween.
February 24, 2022
Altogether strong vibes & enjoyable, but by far the biggest highlight of this book is Robin in the fourth story. Absolute star.
October 8, 2020
Vähän kauhua lokakuuhun!
Tai ei tämän tarinakokoelman kaikki tarinat ihan kauhua ole, vaikka jossain jännityksen, epämukavuuden ja epätietoisuuden alueella jokaisessa liikutaankin.
Daphne du Maurier oli minulle entuudestaan tuntematon kirjailija, vaikka onkin kauhuromantiikan / gotiikan / yliluonnollisen jännityksen klassikoita (ei ehkä vähiten Hitchockin tekemien elokuvien takia). Tämä novellikokoelma vaikutti ihan hyvältä lähestymiskulmalta du Maurierin tuotantoon, sillä tarinat ovat tyyliltään ja tunnelmaltaan hyvin samanlaisia, mutta sisällöiltään toisistaan poikkeavia.
Du Maurieria tuntuisi kiinnostavan ennen kaikkea ihmisten väliset suhteet, erityisesti parisuhteiden hankaluudet, mutta myös isä-tytär-suhteet. Tätä käydään kokoelman tarinoissa läpi eri kuvioissa: on yliluonnollista kauhua lomakohteista, sosiaalista jännitystä, tieteisjännitystä ja perhemysteeriä.
Kaikki eivät ihan siihen romanttinen kauhu -genreen sovi, mutta se on toisaalta kokoelman vahvuuskin, sillä usein liian monta kauhutarinaa putkeen vie tehoa yksittäisiltä teksteiltä. Yllätyksen ja käänteiden voima häviävät. Nyt lukiessa säilyi koko ajan pieni epätietoisuus siitä, mihin juuri tämä tarina onkaan menossa. Pettymyksiä ei joukkoon mahtunut, du Maurier on vahva ihmisten ja ihmisten tunteiden kuvaaja, joten ilman shokkikäänteitäkin teksteissä on pureskeltavaa.
Tai ei tämän tarinakokoelman kaikki tarinat ihan kauhua ole, vaikka jossain jännityksen, epämukavuuden ja epätietoisuuden alueella jokaisessa liikutaankin.
Daphne du Maurier oli minulle entuudestaan tuntematon kirjailija, vaikka onkin kauhuromantiikan / gotiikan / yliluonnollisen jännityksen klassikoita (ei ehkä vähiten Hitchockin tekemien elokuvien takia). Tämä novellikokoelma vaikutti ihan hyvältä lähestymiskulmalta du Maurierin tuotantoon, sillä tarinat ovat tyyliltään ja tunnelmaltaan hyvin samanlaisia, mutta sisällöiltään toisistaan poikkeavia.
Du Maurieria tuntuisi kiinnostavan ennen kaikkea ihmisten väliset suhteet, erityisesti parisuhteiden hankaluudet, mutta myös isä-tytär-suhteet. Tätä käydään kokoelman tarinoissa läpi eri kuvioissa: on yliluonnollista kauhua lomakohteista, sosiaalista jännitystä, tieteisjännitystä ja perhemysteeriä.
Kaikki eivät ihan siihen romanttinen kauhu -genreen sovi, mutta se on toisaalta kokoelman vahvuuskin, sillä usein liian monta kauhutarinaa putkeen vie tehoa yksittäisiltä teksteiltä. Yllätyksen ja käänteiden voima häviävät. Nyt lukiessa säilyi koko ajan pieni epätietoisuus siitä, mihin juuri tämä tarina onkaan menossa. Pettymyksiä ei joukkoon mahtunut, du Maurier on vahva ihmisten ja ihmisten tunteiden kuvaaja, joten ilman shokkikäänteitäkin teksteissä on pureskeltavaa.
December 3, 2017
Ich kaufte das Buch aus zwei Gründen: Erstens sah ich den Film "Don't look now", der auf einer short story von Daphne du Maurier beruht und zweitens las ich "Rebecca" von ihr und mochte dieses Buch schon besonders.
Diese Kurzgeschichten sind wunderbar geschrieben, haben alle etwas Erschreckendes an sich, wenn auch subtil. Jede Geschichte behandelt verschiedene menschliche Abgründe und das macht Daphne du Maurier wirklich auf fantastische und spannende Weise! Meine Lieblingsgeschichte ist "Don't look now", aber auch "The Breakthrough". Letzteres ist sogar schon ziemlich dystopisch. Angsteinflößend, aber auch erstaunlich, das trifft es ziemlich gut.
Klare Lesempfehlung, vor allem auf Englisch!
Diese Kurzgeschichten sind wunderbar geschrieben, haben alle etwas Erschreckendes an sich, wenn auch subtil. Jede Geschichte behandelt verschiedene menschliche Abgründe und das macht Daphne du Maurier wirklich auf fantastische und spannende Weise! Meine Lieblingsgeschichte ist "Don't look now", aber auch "The Breakthrough". Letzteres ist sogar schon ziemlich dystopisch. Angsteinflößend, aber auch erstaunlich, das trifft es ziemlich gut.
Klare Lesempfehlung, vor allem auf Englisch!
April 20, 2017
My favorite story was " The breakthrough". A close second is " A border line case" - for me it was the scariest.
I liked that the stories take you on a trip around the world, each one being set in a different country.
I recently re-read Rebecca and I wanted to read something else written by Du Maurier; the style was different than what I expected- the ending for these short stories always seemed rushed somehow, after the careful crafting of the characters and atmosphere.
I really loved that Du Maurier chose uncomfortable topics though I wouldn't call the genre of these short stories horror. I did enjoyed reading these stories and getting to know a different side of this author.
I liked that the stories take you on a trip around the world, each one being set in a different country.
I recently re-read Rebecca and I wanted to read something else written by Du Maurier; the style was different than what I expected- the ending for these short stories always seemed rushed somehow, after the careful crafting of the characters and atmosphere.
I really loved that Du Maurier chose uncomfortable topics though I wouldn't call the genre of these short stories horror. I did enjoyed reading these stories and getting to know a different side of this author.
January 31, 2018
These short stories have a very different feel than du Maurier's "Rebecca", which is her most famous book (I'm pretty sure). At first I was surprised - subconsciously I had expected them to be in the same style - but then I was pleased because these stories are able to stand on their own, without needing the same pattern as "Rebecca" to make them exciting. Each story branches off into unexpected places, such as technology and mythology, but the collection works together smoothly and doesn't feel jarring when you move between stories.
October 5, 2018
Daphne du Maurier has been such a hit and misd author for me because I absolutely love some of her books but others, like the collection here just bored the hell out of me. I enjoyed maybe 2 stories and only mildly, couldn't even force myself to finish A border-line case and the Breakthrough because the stories were going nowhere and the characters were just not enough to hold my interest. Barely managed to finish the Way of the Cross and hated it because of the inane, flat, ridiculous characters who I just could not sympathise with
November 17, 2019
Having read this book after having read Rebecca a couple of times, I am even more impressed by Daphne Du Maurier's skill and talent for creating a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. She has a gift for creating an atmosphere of tension out of both, seemingly supernatural and the most ordinary of all circumstances. The stories contained in this book all have different themes ranging from elements of supernatural, human desire, human nature, and even science fiction, and she delivers each of the themes like a pro, entwining the reader completely in her narrative.
January 19, 2020
All the stories are very good but the first one shines with incredibly good suspense and immaculate story telling. I have rarely been so interested to continue reading after dropping the book for a break.
Even the movie adaptati0n of "Don't Look Now" with Donald Sutherland managed to carry that quality spark. When I saw the movie I was too little to get even the basics but it nevertheless left me with a strange feeling of mystery I only recently went on and finish exploring as an adult. And boy was it worth it. Totally. Thanks, Daphne!
Even the movie adaptati0n of "Don't Look Now" with Donald Sutherland managed to carry that quality spark. When I saw the movie I was too little to get even the basics but it nevertheless left me with a strange feeling of mystery I only recently went on and finish exploring as an adult. And boy was it worth it. Totally. Thanks, Daphne!
May 6, 2020
I enjoyed every story in this collection. They’re very different yet similar in their theme.
[[ See my progress updates for reviews of the single stories. ]]
The last story — “The Breakthrough” — is less a mystery and more of a science fiction story and therefore slightly different to the others in this collection. But it’s still a gripping tale about desire. The ultimate desire you might say: the desire to find out what comes after death (without actually dying). I enjoyed reading about something more experimental. Figuratively and literally.
[[ See my progress updates for reviews of the single stories. ]]
The last story — “The Breakthrough” — is less a mystery and more of a science fiction story and therefore slightly different to the others in this collection. But it’s still a gripping tale about desire. The ultimate desire you might say: the desire to find out what comes after death (without actually dying). I enjoyed reading about something more experimental. Figuratively and literally.
January 16, 2021
Don't Look Now because you might just be staring at terror, death, misfortune, and truth about yourself and life. Such is the thread that connects five short stories in this book.
1) Don't Look Now - eerie, foreboding, suspenseful - 4 stars
2) Not After Midnight - good pace but the ending is a disappointment/confusing - 3 stars
3) A Border-Line Case - somewhat predictable - 3 stars
4) The Way of the Cross - interesting characters and setting; had me laughing - 4 stars
5) The Breakthrough - different from the rest: more sci-fi. This stayed with me longer with its theme of life/death. 5 stars
1) Don't Look Now - eerie, foreboding, suspenseful - 4 stars
2) Not After Midnight - good pace but the ending is a disappointment/confusing - 3 stars
3) A Border-Line Case - somewhat predictable - 3 stars
4) The Way of the Cross - interesting characters and setting; had me laughing - 4 stars
5) The Breakthrough - different from the rest: more sci-fi. This stayed with me longer with its theme of life/death. 5 stars
February 10, 2021
After watching the 1973 film 'Don't Look Now', I wanted to read the short story which it was based on, which is included in the collection along with four others. I found the short story more enjoyable than the film, which was heavy with symbolism and dragged a bit in parts. As for the other stories in the collection, I like du Maurier's writing style a lot, but found some of the endings a bit - not exactly far-fetched, but maybe not quite believable? I prefer her other collection 'The Birds and Other Stories' which while uneven, has some absolute gems.
January 7, 2022
A really intriguing and twisty short story. It was extremely engaging and the ending had me shocked at the nature of it. I was expecting the ending, which is why it isn't 5 stars. In stories like this I always prefer it when I have no proper idea as to what's coming. I want clues, I want to have some theories but I want to properly shocked. Early in the story there's a sequence that tells you what's most likely going to happen and then it does and it was just kind of like "oh ok, cool".
I loved everything else about it though.
I loved everything else about it though.
August 22, 2024
[THIS REVIEW CONCERNS ONLY THE SHORT STORY "DON'T LOOK NOW"]
A sinister story that excels at removing the vibrancy from Venice, leaving only bleak and mysterious monuments and canals. Nicolas Roeg's adaption of this short story is an immensely successful rearrangement for the screen while du Maurier's concern is John's lack of faith in premonitions. Ultimately, his suppressed grief becomes his downfall.
A sinister story that excels at removing the vibrancy from Venice, leaving only bleak and mysterious monuments and canals. Nicolas Roeg's adaption of this short story is an immensely successful rearrangement for the screen while du Maurier's concern is John's lack of faith in premonitions. Ultimately, his suppressed grief becomes his downfall.
July 27, 2020
Don't look Now and Not After Midnight are two fantastic short stories- well crafted, gripping and full of suspense. Du Maurier conjurers up her settings brilliantly- her description vivid and immersive. It's no wonder so many of her stories made their way to the silver screen! The other short stories in this book are not of the same calibre and seem a little dated.
August 1, 2023
Gave up on this book in the middle, after 3 or 4 stories I don't even know. It's not bad bad but I don't feel anything for any ambiance, some plots are too obvious, one I didn't understand to the end and some parts seemed to me like they've been added only to drag the suspense a little longer and it only annoyed me... Maybe I'll give it another try later but I'm not sure :/
March 4, 2018
Five short stories with a much more of-the-moment feel than Rebecca or Jamaica Inn. Every tale has a strong sense of place, a pervading sense of the uncanny, and - well - some uneasy seventies politics.
February 26, 2022
My year of reading du Maurier:
Loved all the stories. Really, it was her mind that was fresh, new to me and exciting and her ability to write as well.
Will have to read biographies of her to find out how she got that way.
Loved all the stories. Really, it was her mind that was fresh, new to me and exciting and her ability to write as well.
Will have to read biographies of her to find out how she got that way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews