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The Rendezvous and Other Stories
Alternate cover to this book.
A happily married woman commits suicide for no apparent reason; a young man tries to break some important news to the beautiful girl he had hoped to marry; a con girl plays the same bold game too often and a novelist embarks on a romantic adventure but is woefully disappointed.
In all these stories, glimpses into personal lives are vividly portrayed, but they are all written with warmth and are wonderfully evocative.
No motive / Panic / The supreme artist / Adieu Sagesse / Fairy tale / The rendezvous / La Sainte-Vierge / Leading lady / Escort / The lover / The closing door / Indiscretion / Angels and archangels / Split second.
A happily married woman commits suicide for no apparent reason; a young man tries to break some important news to the beautiful girl he had hoped to marry; a con girl plays the same bold game too often and a novelist embarks on a romantic adventure but is woefully disappointed.
In all these stories, glimpses into personal lives are vividly portrayed, but they are all written with warmth and are wonderfully evocative.
No motive / Panic / The supreme artist / Adieu Sagesse / Fairy tale / The rendezvous / La Sainte-Vierge / Leading lady / Escort / The lover / The closing door / Indiscretion / Angels and archangels / Split second.
273 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
51 people are currently reading
1311 people want to read
About the author
Daphne du Maurier
432 books10.1k 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 148 reviews
March 19, 2021
The Rendezvous and Other Stories is, or rather was, the only volume of Daphne du Maurier's short stories I hadn't read. It also seems to be the least popular; it has the fewest ratings on Goodreads, and I didn't even know it existed until recently. It is a collection of du Maurier stories from various points in the author's life, including several very early ones, though in terms of original publication date it was the last collection of her stories to be published (prior to the discovery of those included in The Doll). No exact dates are included, but I found a rough chronology here which suggests that many of these stories were written in du Maurier's early 20s, with four tales dating from later in her career. It's fair to say, then, that this is far from the strongest collection of the author's short fiction, but as I've read all her other stories, I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to be a total completist.
No Motive
A mystery: a woman shoots herself for no apparent reason, having seemed previously content, and her distraught husband employs a private investigator to establish her motive. The investigator, Black, rakes through the woman's past and discovers a multitude of secrets. Well-formed, fast-moving and intriguing, taking in a number of settings and characters, this is an effective tale which, unlike some of the others included here, feels complete.
Panic
A man and a woman arrive in Paris, on what appears to be an illicit weekend together, although they don't seem to like each other very much. This scenario is familiar from some of the author's other stories, as is the narrative device of switching from one character's point of view to the other, showing them both to be having different negative thoughts about the situation. The pair take a room in a distinctly shabby backstreet hotel, and then disaster strikes. There is an inevitable twist at the end, but it's almost too predictable. I would have preferred to have some more context to the couple's relationship and what might have led them to embark on this trip.
The Supreme Artist
After finishing a show, a stage actor is visited by a woman he doesn't recognise, though she claims to have known him well in the past. He pretends to remember her and they talk, their conversation gradually revealing that they had a romance he has forgotten entirely. I was expecting a bigger punchline to this, but it's still an enjoyable story: the conversation illustrates the actor's tendency to turn any interaction into a performance, and his perception of the woman makes him keenly aware of his own mortality.
Adieu Sagesse
A man known to be particularly dull shocks his family and acquaintances when he has a sudden change of character and decides to embark on a boat trip. More of a social satire, this story wasn't that interesting to me and I found the rendering of local dialect in some characters' speech extremely annoying.
Fairy Tale
A sweet story about an impoverished couple who face destitution. (It's nice to read about a genuinely happy couple in a du Maurier story for once, even if they are so poor they're on the verge of starving...) The husband spins a vision of a warm, welcoming room and a delicious feast to make his wife feel better, but is it fantasy or fact?
The Rendezvous
As you would expect given that it lends its name to the title, 'The Rendezvous' is one of the longest, most developed stories here. An arrogant, but somewhat lonely, writer strikes up a written correspondence with a young female fan, and arranges to meet her during a trip to Geneva. Anticipating the start of an affair, he is disappointed to find she already has a lover, and the rest of the story is predictable but very entertaining fare - the writer agonising about the situation but ultimately doing nothing, the girl manipulating him; a mostly internalised power struggle and an eventual moment of clarity.
La Sainte-Vierge
The atmospheric, sad tale of a naive, loving wife. Though one of the shortest, this is particularly evocative and sadly ironic.
Leading Lady
Like 'The Rendezvous', this is about an arrogant man and a manipulative woman, but it is much lighter and more comic in tone. A pompous producer attempts to persuade a successful actress to work with him, envisioning the two of them embarking on a campaign to 'purify' the theatre industry, little suspecting she has been involved in various permutations of the immoral affairs he hates so much.
Escort
I really liked this, partly because it's a ghost story so... obviously I did; but also because its themes and general sense of atmosphere made it stand out from the rest. In wartime, a British merchant ship is threatened by a German submarine, only to be approached by a strange, unidentified ship which offers to provide an escort home. This would have benefited from being a bit longer, I think, but it still manages to convey a wonderfully sinister ambience.
The Lover
A stinging portrait of a man who seduces various women, telling the same lies to all of them, yet blaming their weak natures for the fact that they believe in what he says. While it's an effective portrayal of a character, there is no actual plot here and it doesn't go anywhere.
The Closing Door
A dark and rather dispiriting story which begins with some abstract and somewhat surreal descriptions: 'perhaps the room was furnished as a reminder that life was already a dead thing, waving a hand in farewell behind the closed door.' A man is told he is terminally ill and is likely to suffer full paralysis, albeit slowly. He then goes to meet a woman (his girlfriend, lover?) who unwittingly makes things worse with her careless words.
Indiscretion
The narrator sets out to illustrate the terrible consequences 'a moment of indiscretion' can cause. Recounting the story of a woman who swindled him to a happily engaged work colleauge, he discovers an unfortunate overlap between their affairs.
Angels and Archangels
This features the Reverend James Hollaway, a character also at the centre of 'And Now to God the Father', one of the tales in The Doll. As with that story, this snapshot of church society didn't do anything for me and I felt it was one of the least effective stories in the collection (though I should emphasise that's due to the fact that the subject matter wasn't to my taste, not because it's badly written).
Split Second
The longest story in the book - and it becomes evident, albeit gradually, that the best has been saved for last. 'Split Second' starts off seeming uninteresting - a portrayal of a widowed woman with a nine-year-old daughter, it's very domestic, spending several interminable pages describing what she does around the house and how she dotes on her child. But everything changes when the protagonist has a brush with death, and returns to find circumstances at home have bizarrely and inexplicably changed. Though it's easy for the reader to guess the twist, the characters never quite catch up, which makes for a delicious and beautifully paced unfolding of events rife with confusion and anguish.
I found this collection generally less compelling than du Maurier's others, of which Don't Look Now and The Birds are the best. Many of these tales focus on relationships, lacking the weirdness and hints of the macabre that define her finest short stories, and occasionally The Rendezvous and Other Stories does feel like it's made up of leftover scraps. That said, the scraps are still perfectly engrossing in their own right, and 'Split Second', 'Escort' and 'No Motive' are memorable. If you haven't read any of the author's stories before, I wouldn't suggest that you start with this, but for me it felt like a satisfying final piece of the puzzle.
I've also written story-by-story reviews of du Maurier's other short story collections on Goodreads: Don't Look Now ; The Birds ; The Breaking Point ; and The Doll .
No Motive
A mystery: a woman shoots herself for no apparent reason, having seemed previously content, and her distraught husband employs a private investigator to establish her motive. The investigator, Black, rakes through the woman's past and discovers a multitude of secrets. Well-formed, fast-moving and intriguing, taking in a number of settings and characters, this is an effective tale which, unlike some of the others included here, feels complete.
Panic
A man and a woman arrive in Paris, on what appears to be an illicit weekend together, although they don't seem to like each other very much. This scenario is familiar from some of the author's other stories, as is the narrative device of switching from one character's point of view to the other, showing them both to be having different negative thoughts about the situation. The pair take a room in a distinctly shabby backstreet hotel, and then disaster strikes. There is an inevitable twist at the end, but it's almost too predictable. I would have preferred to have some more context to the couple's relationship and what might have led them to embark on this trip.
The Supreme Artist
After finishing a show, a stage actor is visited by a woman he doesn't recognise, though she claims to have known him well in the past. He pretends to remember her and they talk, their conversation gradually revealing that they had a romance he has forgotten entirely. I was expecting a bigger punchline to this, but it's still an enjoyable story: the conversation illustrates the actor's tendency to turn any interaction into a performance, and his perception of the woman makes him keenly aware of his own mortality.
Adieu Sagesse
A man known to be particularly dull shocks his family and acquaintances when he has a sudden change of character and decides to embark on a boat trip. More of a social satire, this story wasn't that interesting to me and I found the rendering of local dialect in some characters' speech extremely annoying.
Fairy Tale
A sweet story about an impoverished couple who face destitution. (It's nice to read about a genuinely happy couple in a du Maurier story for once, even if they are so poor they're on the verge of starving...) The husband spins a vision of a warm, welcoming room and a delicious feast to make his wife feel better, but is it fantasy or fact?
The Rendezvous
As you would expect given that it lends its name to the title, 'The Rendezvous' is one of the longest, most developed stories here. An arrogant, but somewhat lonely, writer strikes up a written correspondence with a young female fan, and arranges to meet her during a trip to Geneva. Anticipating the start of an affair, he is disappointed to find she already has a lover, and the rest of the story is predictable but very entertaining fare - the writer agonising about the situation but ultimately doing nothing, the girl manipulating him; a mostly internalised power struggle and an eventual moment of clarity.
La Sainte-Vierge
The atmospheric, sad tale of a naive, loving wife. Though one of the shortest, this is particularly evocative and sadly ironic.
Leading Lady
Like 'The Rendezvous', this is about an arrogant man and a manipulative woman, but it is much lighter and more comic in tone. A pompous producer attempts to persuade a successful actress to work with him, envisioning the two of them embarking on a campaign to 'purify' the theatre industry, little suspecting she has been involved in various permutations of the immoral affairs he hates so much.
Escort
I really liked this, partly because it's a ghost story so... obviously I did; but also because its themes and general sense of atmosphere made it stand out from the rest. In wartime, a British merchant ship is threatened by a German submarine, only to be approached by a strange, unidentified ship which offers to provide an escort home. This would have benefited from being a bit longer, I think, but it still manages to convey a wonderfully sinister ambience.
The Lover
A stinging portrait of a man who seduces various women, telling the same lies to all of them, yet blaming their weak natures for the fact that they believe in what he says. While it's an effective portrayal of a character, there is no actual plot here and it doesn't go anywhere.
The Closing Door
A dark and rather dispiriting story which begins with some abstract and somewhat surreal descriptions: 'perhaps the room was furnished as a reminder that life was already a dead thing, waving a hand in farewell behind the closed door.' A man is told he is terminally ill and is likely to suffer full paralysis, albeit slowly. He then goes to meet a woman (his girlfriend, lover?) who unwittingly makes things worse with her careless words.
Indiscretion
The narrator sets out to illustrate the terrible consequences 'a moment of indiscretion' can cause. Recounting the story of a woman who swindled him to a happily engaged work colleauge, he discovers an unfortunate overlap between their affairs.
Angels and Archangels
This features the Reverend James Hollaway, a character also at the centre of 'And Now to God the Father', one of the tales in The Doll. As with that story, this snapshot of church society didn't do anything for me and I felt it was one of the least effective stories in the collection (though I should emphasise that's due to the fact that the subject matter wasn't to my taste, not because it's badly written).
Split Second
The longest story in the book - and it becomes evident, albeit gradually, that the best has been saved for last. 'Split Second' starts off seeming uninteresting - a portrayal of a widowed woman with a nine-year-old daughter, it's very domestic, spending several interminable pages describing what she does around the house and how she dotes on her child. But everything changes when the protagonist has a brush with death, and returns to find circumstances at home have bizarrely and inexplicably changed. Though it's easy for the reader to guess the twist, the characters never quite catch up, which makes for a delicious and beautifully paced unfolding of events rife with confusion and anguish.
I found this collection generally less compelling than du Maurier's others, of which Don't Look Now and The Birds are the best. Many of these tales focus on relationships, lacking the weirdness and hints of the macabre that define her finest short stories, and occasionally The Rendezvous and Other Stories does feel like it's made up of leftover scraps. That said, the scraps are still perfectly engrossing in their own right, and 'Split Second', 'Escort' and 'No Motive' are memorable. If you haven't read any of the author's stories before, I wouldn't suggest that you start with this, but for me it felt like a satisfying final piece of the puzzle.
I've also written story-by-story reviews of du Maurier's other short story collections on Goodreads: Don't Look Now ; The Birds ; The Breaking Point ; and The Doll .
February 6, 2017
Firstly, Daphne du Maurier is one of my favourite authors, so I will always be a bit biased. I will say that while this was not my favourite collection of her short stories (I LOVE 'The Blue Lenses'), it is still absolutely worth reading.
The first story "No Motive" and the final one "Split Second" are particularly wonderful, while several of the stories in between feel a bit too short, as though they cut off just before things get really interesting. Perhaps that is a credit to her gift for creating delicious suspense - you simply do not want the story to end. You become attached to the characters and desperate for the outcome of their misadventure.
There is something particularly captivating about the way du Maurier can create a sense of fear and unrest without anything particularly grisly or horrifying taking place in her stories. She's exceptional at playing with the nuances of human nature in a way that can really capture the dark side of a reader's imagination.
The first story "No Motive" and the final one "Split Second" are particularly wonderful, while several of the stories in between feel a bit too short, as though they cut off just before things get really interesting. Perhaps that is a credit to her gift for creating delicious suspense - you simply do not want the story to end. You become attached to the characters and desperate for the outcome of their misadventure.
There is something particularly captivating about the way du Maurier can create a sense of fear and unrest without anything particularly grisly or horrifying taking place in her stories. She's exceptional at playing with the nuances of human nature in a way that can really capture the dark side of a reader's imagination.
August 28, 2025
Uma colecção de contos simpática, com a escrita irrepreensível da Daphne du Maurier, mas sem o impacto e a envolvência de outras obras que já li dela, nomeadamente "Os Pássaros", "A Prima Raquel" ou "Rebecca". Ainda assim, confirmei que as personagens por ela criadas são magníficas.
June 17, 2014
If Daphne du Maurier was apparently weaker at short stories then gee whizz the rest of us are doomed. I enjoyed this collection of varied short fiction immensely, thanks mainly to all of them having the essential sting in the tail or twist in the plot that really makes short stories work for me.
I was pulled in with the not-so-straight forward "Whodunnit?" or rather "Why-she-dun-it?" No Motive and I was held throughout as Du Maurier explores family, love, lies, scandal and even magical realism in this collection that is compiled of stories written both before the likes of Rebecca and Frenchman's Creek and after her long and accomplished line of novels.
If you like Du Maurier's novels, do not overlook this collection and maybe other of her short stories. Her words flow free and the stories she tells are original and authentic.
I was pulled in with the not-so-straight forward "Whodunnit?" or rather "Why-she-dun-it?" No Motive and I was held throughout as Du Maurier explores family, love, lies, scandal and even magical realism in this collection that is compiled of stories written both before the likes of Rebecca and Frenchman's Creek and after her long and accomplished line of novels.
If you like Du Maurier's novels, do not overlook this collection and maybe other of her short stories. Her words flow free and the stories she tells are original and authentic.
August 25, 2019
Коли-небудь я зрозумію силу Дафни. Просто переказати сюжет - знецінити. Поки що насолоджуюсь її словами, тією тривожністю і тонкістю, що бринить в кожному оповіданні.
July 24, 2020
This was fantastic. Possibly one of my favourite short story collections.
August 23, 2024
Soooo dated I could not enjoy...atmosphere is apparently only interesting when historic and not when written historically LOL. Or maybe I should blame the boring narration by De Souza version...sadly this was a DNF. First story was so long and boring I thought it would never end...I finally started sampling the other stories and when it sounded like one never-ending repetitious mish-mash I had to jump ship for mental health reasons (I thought I would lose my mind)
December 24, 2019
I will review each story as I read them:
1. No Motive.
A private detective investigating why a wealthy woman expecting her first child commits suicide. 4 stars.
2. Panic. 3 stars
3. Supreme Artist. Um not sure of the point of this one. 2 stars
4. Adieu Sagesse. 2 stars.
5. Fairytale. 2 stars
6. Rendezvous. 5 stars
7. La Sainte-Verge
8. Leading Lady.
9. Escort.
10. The Lover.
11. The closing door.
12. Indiscretion.
13. Angels & Archangels.
14. Split Second.
Some of the stories are really good and others are somewhat disappointing. I will read them slowly over the next month.
1. No Motive.
A private detective investigating why a wealthy woman expecting her first child commits suicide. 4 stars.
2. Panic. 3 stars
3. Supreme Artist. Um not sure of the point of this one. 2 stars
4. Adieu Sagesse. 2 stars.
5. Fairytale. 2 stars
6. Rendezvous. 5 stars
7. La Sainte-Verge
8. Leading Lady.
9. Escort.
10. The Lover.
11. The closing door.
12. Indiscretion.
13. Angels & Archangels.
14. Split Second.
Some of the stories are really good and others are somewhat disappointing. I will read them slowly over the next month.
December 1, 2019
A collection of fourteen short stories that span Daphne du Maurier's career. Here I was revisiting the author that knocked me over with " Rebecca" and " My Cousin Rachel" and I admit that I was a little underwhelmed. With the exception of " Split Second" and " No Motive" which were definitely the most intriguing and showed the writing prowess and voice of du Maurier.
Goodreads review published 30/11/19
Goodreads review published 30/11/19
June 15, 2022
3.5 ⭐️Loved it. Non bello quanto Gli uccelli e altri racconti ma meglio del Punto di Rottura.
Come al solito Daphne du Maurier, con la sua meravigliosa scrittura, ci porta attraverso molteplici scenari, ci delinea tantissimi personaggi diversi ed è incredibile come riesca a farli respirare in così poche pagine. Con qualche linea di dialogo riesce a caratterizzarli benissimo. Poi sempre presente l’atmosfera di disagio, un po’ macabra, e anche qualche tocco di sovrannaturale che non guasta mai. Le mie storie preferite sono state sicuramente: Senza Motivo, che racconta di un’indagine; Adieu Sagesse, che parla di piccole cittadine e della difficoltà di distaccarsene; La Scorta, che porta quel pizzico di sovrannaturale alla raccolta; La porta che si chiude, che fa davvero riflettere moooolto; In un attimo, che mi ha conquistata per ovvi motivi di cui non posso parlare per non fare spoiler. Thank you once again, Daphne my queen 😌🙏
Come al solito Daphne du Maurier, con la sua meravigliosa scrittura, ci porta attraverso molteplici scenari, ci delinea tantissimi personaggi diversi ed è incredibile come riesca a farli respirare in così poche pagine. Con qualche linea di dialogo riesce a caratterizzarli benissimo. Poi sempre presente l’atmosfera di disagio, un po’ macabra, e anche qualche tocco di sovrannaturale che non guasta mai. Le mie storie preferite sono state sicuramente: Senza Motivo, che racconta di un’indagine; Adieu Sagesse, che parla di piccole cittadine e della difficoltà di distaccarsene; La Scorta, che porta quel pizzico di sovrannaturale alla raccolta; La porta che si chiude, che fa davvero riflettere moooolto; In un attimo, che mi ha conquistata per ovvi motivi di cui non posso parlare per non fare spoiler. Thank you once again, Daphne my queen 😌🙏
April 11, 2021
There will always be some stories that are better than others in a short story collection, but this one was even more hit and miss than most. I really liked the first and the last story, and some of the others in between; I didn't like the title story and several felt a bit pointless.
March 31, 2023
The Closing Door was worth it alone. Such a neat, sad story. Fairy Tale was also good. The others have already faded from my memory.
April 18, 2022
"No Motive" - Smooth pace, layer after layer of mystery. In other words: written by a master of the genre. [4]
"Panic" - A gloomy mood with a perfect ending/twist. [4]
"The Supreme Artist" - A brilliant story, especially as a study of human nature. [5]
"Adieu Sagesse" - I didn't get the point/message. [2]
"Fairy Tale" - Simply a brilliant story. A loving couple on the verge of starving... Doesn't sound good? Yet I savored it. [4.5]
"The Rendezvous" - Another genial story about human beings. [5]
"La Sainte-Vierge" - It perfectly showed how Daphne du Maurier didn't allow a reader to feel 100% sympathetic for "a good human" and 100% hate/anger for "a bad human" - because, let's face it, no one is 100% anything. [4.5]
"Leading Lady" - Another observant view of human nature. [4.5]
"Escort" - I wasn't interested. [2]
"The Lover" - Sad, true. [3]
"The Closing Door" - Another sad story, with Daphne du Maurier's observant eye. [3.5]
"Indiscretion" - I would call it a perfect satire with a great plot twist. [5]
"Angels and Archangels" - I wasn't interested. [2]
"Split Second" - As madame Bibliophile wrote: Split Second is incredibly clever in how it positions the reader. It shows us the epitome of middle-class calm, we think we know the story we are getting, then like the experience of Mrs Ellis, everything is thrown in complete disarray. (...) a sad story, and one that suggests we can attempt to create all the calm and order we like in our own small setting, it will be no match for the chaos and disarray of other people in the wider world. [5]
"Panic" - A gloomy mood with a perfect ending/twist. [4]
"The Supreme Artist" - A brilliant story, especially as a study of human nature. [5]
"Adieu Sagesse" - I didn't get the point/message. [2]
"Fairy Tale" - Simply a brilliant story. A loving couple on the verge of starving... Doesn't sound good? Yet I savored it. [4.5]
"The Rendezvous" - Another genial story about human beings. [5]
"La Sainte-Vierge" - It perfectly showed how Daphne du Maurier didn't allow a reader to feel 100% sympathetic for "a good human" and 100% hate/anger for "a bad human" - because, let's face it, no one is 100% anything. [4.5]
"Leading Lady" - Another observant view of human nature. [4.5]
"Escort" - I wasn't interested. [2]
"The Lover" - Sad, true. [3]
"The Closing Door" - Another sad story, with Daphne du Maurier's observant eye. [3.5]
"Indiscretion" - I would call it a perfect satire with a great plot twist. [5]
"Angels and Archangels" - I wasn't interested. [2]
"Split Second" - As madame Bibliophile wrote: Split Second is incredibly clever in how it positions the reader. It shows us the epitome of middle-class calm, we think we know the story we are getting, then like the experience of Mrs Ellis, everything is thrown in complete disarray. (...) a sad story, and one that suggests we can attempt to create all the calm and order we like in our own small setting, it will be no match for the chaos and disarray of other people in the wider world. [5]
September 4, 2020
I've given this three stars purely based on the fact that I didn't enjoy all of the short stories in this collection. That being said, there is not a single one that is bad. In fact, they are all brilliantly written. Daphne's characters leap off the page in the short amount of time they are given. I've read novels where the characters do not do the same for 200+ pages. In this respect, the collection is fantastic.
The only reason I didn't enjoy these stories is that they aren't pleasant. A common theme I am noticing from her short stories are that they are dark and often show the worst parts of human nature. A few spring to mind: 'Leading Lady', 'The Lover', and 'Angels and Archangels'. They are good stories and the characters are excellent but they aren't pleasant. I wouldn't read this unless I was interested in the writing of Daphne du Maurier.
My problem with this collection is the order of the stories included.
I found that the order of the collection was rather odd. The preface explains that the stories were all written at different times in Daphne's life; some predate the publication of her first novel and the rest were written between the ages of thirty and forty. The brilliant introduction by Minette Walters helps to clarify this. Most are undated aside from the ones published in magazines when she was young. 'No Motive', 'The Escort', and 'Split Second' appear to have been written between 1937 and 1947 and share the theme of death. Despite this, they are not grouped together. Nor are the other stories in the collection grouped by any theme they share. I think this is responsible for the way in which the reader responds to the stories. 'The Birds' published in its own collection fits next to 'The Escort' perfectly. Maddeningly, 'The Rendezvous' is not the first story in the collection. 'No Motive' is the first and one of the best stories in the collection but that is a rejected story from The Apple Tree Collection.
It seems that Daphne's short stories have been neglected and thrown together in a way that makes them hard to be appreciated. This is a shame because they show her talent as a writer of the short form.
The only reason I didn't enjoy these stories is that they aren't pleasant. A common theme I am noticing from her short stories are that they are dark and often show the worst parts of human nature. A few spring to mind: 'Leading Lady', 'The Lover', and 'Angels and Archangels'. They are good stories and the characters are excellent but they aren't pleasant. I wouldn't read this unless I was interested in the writing of Daphne du Maurier.
My problem with this collection is the order of the stories included.
I found that the order of the collection was rather odd. The preface explains that the stories were all written at different times in Daphne's life; some predate the publication of her first novel and the rest were written between the ages of thirty and forty. The brilliant introduction by Minette Walters helps to clarify this. Most are undated aside from the ones published in magazines when she was young. 'No Motive', 'The Escort', and 'Split Second' appear to have been written between 1937 and 1947 and share the theme of death. Despite this, they are not grouped together. Nor are the other stories in the collection grouped by any theme they share. I think this is responsible for the way in which the reader responds to the stories. 'The Birds' published in its own collection fits next to 'The Escort' perfectly. Maddeningly, 'The Rendezvous' is not the first story in the collection. 'No Motive' is the first and one of the best stories in the collection but that is a rejected story from The Apple Tree Collection.
It seems that Daphne's short stories have been neglected and thrown together in a way that makes them hard to be appreciated. This is a shame because they show her talent as a writer of the short form.
December 18, 2020
It's Daphne, what can I say? Amazing.
July 24, 2020
My favourite story in the collection was No Motive.
August 27, 2022
Disappointing…
Although this was apparently the last collection of short stories to be published in du Maurier’s lifetime, most of the fourteen stories in it date from her early twenties, with only a handful from later in her career. I feel that shows – these are not her best work, with some of them ranking as pretty poor, in my opinion. In general I found them rather unoriginal, often padded and repetitive to a length far longer than the story justified, with “twists” that were all too obvious. But what really put me off the collection was the almost complete lack of likeable characters. There is, I feel, a kind of cruelty towards the characters – they start out miserable, go through hell, and come out worse than they began; not in every case, but often enough for me to have remarked several times in my contemporaneous notes that she really doesn’t seem to like people, especially women. Her women are either weak and ripe to be victims, or they are manipulative, cruel and cold. There is rarely love in the pages though there’s plenty of lust, desire and rather sordid infidelity. The rare “good” character seldom achieves any kind of reward or happy ending, while many of the nasty ones do quite well for themselves. My misery meter swung towards high quite early on, and by the end it was hovering consistently in the danger zone – only copious supplies of medicinal chocolate got me through.
As you’d expect, they’re well enough written and some of the descriptive writing is very good. Occasional stories are lighter, with some humour, and those tended to work better for me. I listened to the audiobook version read by Edward de Souza, and to be honest I think it was only the excellence of his narration that kept me going to the end. Overall, then, of the fourteen stories, I rated only five as excellent or good, while five rated as poor and the remaining four were middling.
Here’s a brief flavour of the three I rated most highly…
The Supreme Artist – an ageing actor is visited in his changing room after a performance one day by a woman who seems to remember him from a youthful romantic dalliance which he has completely forgotten. However, it would be rude to say so, and he’s an actor, so he throws himself into the part, playing a man who has spent his life hiding the broken heart she left him with. He may or may not convince the woman, but he gradually begins to convince himself! There’s a lot of humour in this and it’s a fun characterisation, done very well.
Leading Lady – an actress this time, not ageing, but no longer in the first blush of youth. She is about to star in a play being produced by a man she has never worked with before. He wants an up-and-coming young actor to play the male lead, but the actress has seen this young man act and fears he will outshine her, with both youth and novelty on his side. But the producer is the money man, of course, so she can’t simply refuse. So she sets out to manipulate the producer into deciding for himself that the young actor shouldn’t get the role. This is also well done, although it’s one of the many where the woman has nothing admirable about her. And frankly, it reads rather differently after the MeToo movement and the many recent scandals in the world of acting than it would have done before – the element that might have seemed humorous when it was written doesn’t seem quite so funny any more.
Escort – A merchant ship is sailing home to England during WW2, through seas dangerous with U-boats. The captain is taken ill so the First Officer, our narrator, finds himself in charge. A U-boat finds them but a sudden fog rolls up just in time to save them. When the fog recedes, an old sailing barque appears, and hails them to offer them a safe escort home. This has a spooky element to it, which is done well. As far as I can find out it must have been written during the war, and it has a definite patriotic message, one designed to draw on British pride in great naval victories of the past. To be truthful, it mirrors very closely a famous story written by Arthur Machen during WW1, The Bowmen, except that his is set on land and draws on a different but equally heroic British legend. Had du Maurier read it, or is it coincidence? I don’t know, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
So a disappointing collection for me, and one more suitable for du Maurier completists than for newcomers wanting to sample her work. 2½ stars overall, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Although this was apparently the last collection of short stories to be published in du Maurier’s lifetime, most of the fourteen stories in it date from her early twenties, with only a handful from later in her career. I feel that shows – these are not her best work, with some of them ranking as pretty poor, in my opinion. In general I found them rather unoriginal, often padded and repetitive to a length far longer than the story justified, with “twists” that were all too obvious. But what really put me off the collection was the almost complete lack of likeable characters. There is, I feel, a kind of cruelty towards the characters – they start out miserable, go through hell, and come out worse than they began; not in every case, but often enough for me to have remarked several times in my contemporaneous notes that she really doesn’t seem to like people, especially women. Her women are either weak and ripe to be victims, or they are manipulative, cruel and cold. There is rarely love in the pages though there’s plenty of lust, desire and rather sordid infidelity. The rare “good” character seldom achieves any kind of reward or happy ending, while many of the nasty ones do quite well for themselves. My misery meter swung towards high quite early on, and by the end it was hovering consistently in the danger zone – only copious supplies of medicinal chocolate got me through.
As you’d expect, they’re well enough written and some of the descriptive writing is very good. Occasional stories are lighter, with some humour, and those tended to work better for me. I listened to the audiobook version read by Edward de Souza, and to be honest I think it was only the excellence of his narration that kept me going to the end. Overall, then, of the fourteen stories, I rated only five as excellent or good, while five rated as poor and the remaining four were middling.
Here’s a brief flavour of the three I rated most highly…
The Supreme Artist – an ageing actor is visited in his changing room after a performance one day by a woman who seems to remember him from a youthful romantic dalliance which he has completely forgotten. However, it would be rude to say so, and he’s an actor, so he throws himself into the part, playing a man who has spent his life hiding the broken heart she left him with. He may or may not convince the woman, but he gradually begins to convince himself! There’s a lot of humour in this and it’s a fun characterisation, done very well.
Leading Lady – an actress this time, not ageing, but no longer in the first blush of youth. She is about to star in a play being produced by a man she has never worked with before. He wants an up-and-coming young actor to play the male lead, but the actress has seen this young man act and fears he will outshine her, with both youth and novelty on his side. But the producer is the money man, of course, so she can’t simply refuse. So she sets out to manipulate the producer into deciding for himself that the young actor shouldn’t get the role. This is also well done, although it’s one of the many where the woman has nothing admirable about her. And frankly, it reads rather differently after the MeToo movement and the many recent scandals in the world of acting than it would have done before – the element that might have seemed humorous when it was written doesn’t seem quite so funny any more.
Escort – A merchant ship is sailing home to England during WW2, through seas dangerous with U-boats. The captain is taken ill so the First Officer, our narrator, finds himself in charge. A U-boat finds them but a sudden fog rolls up just in time to save them. When the fog recedes, an old sailing barque appears, and hails them to offer them a safe escort home. This has a spooky element to it, which is done well. As far as I can find out it must have been written during the war, and it has a definite patriotic message, one designed to draw on British pride in great naval victories of the past. To be truthful, it mirrors very closely a famous story written by Arthur Machen during WW1, The Bowmen, except that his is set on land and draws on a different but equally heroic British legend. Had du Maurier read it, or is it coincidence? I don’t know, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
So a disappointing collection for me, and one more suitable for du Maurier completists than for newcomers wanting to sample her work. 2½ stars overall, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 10, 2017
Some stories were quite good, some very disappointing.
What I’ve always appreciated about du Maurier is that she comes up with very intriguing narratives and creates a jaw-dropping atmosphere in her setup. However, she consistently fails to carry the plot throughout the length of the story and also seems to struggle writing a good ending for her characters.
This is the 10th book I’ve read by her and I’m not very inclined to continue forward with any of her other writings.
What I’ve always appreciated about du Maurier is that she comes up with very intriguing narratives and creates a jaw-dropping atmosphere in her setup. However, she consistently fails to carry the plot throughout the length of the story and also seems to struggle writing a good ending for her characters.
This is the 10th book I’ve read by her and I’m not very inclined to continue forward with any of her other writings.
October 29, 2022
La suspense, il filo sottile dell'inquietudine, du Maurier è una maestra nel creare situazioni disturbanti, e questi racconti non fanno eccezione.
July 7, 2022
Daphne du Maurier has a way of way of writing that just keeps me hooked. This isn't my favourite of her books but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The twists and turns even in her short stories keep me guessing until the end and the emotions are always right at the surface.
These aren't all stand alone stories, but the ones I particularly enjoyed were 'No Motive, 'The Supreme Artist' and 'Split Second'.
These aren't all stand alone stories, but the ones I particularly enjoyed were 'No Motive, 'The Supreme Artist' and 'Split Second'.
March 30, 2022
los viajes a la facultad son lo que me va a hacer completar mi reto de lectura 💋
July 13, 2016
I have greatly enjoyed du Maurier’s short stories in the past, and consequently had rather high hopes for The Rendezvous and Other Stories. Unlike many of her collections, which cover just a few years, the stories here span du Maurier’s entire career.
Several of these tales were previously featured in magazines before being placed into the collection, which was published in 1980. The Rendezvous and Other Stories is made up of fifteen stories in all. As with all of du Maurier’s short story collections, a diverse range of settings have been used, from Switzerland and Paris to a tiny Yorkshire village. She has also chosen to use a variety of different eras in which to set her stories. The strongest tales in the collection are largely set within the period in which she was writing.
Du Maurier has also made use of an array of plots, all of which serve to keep the reader interested. In the first story, ‘No Motive’, for example, the suicide of a perfectly content woman is investigated; and in ‘Fairy Tale’, an interesting spin on the rags-to-riches story, a destitute couple imagine themselves in an elevated position, away from their constant money troubles and impending homelessness. In the title story, ‘The Rendezvous’, we learn about a novelist and article writer, and the ways in which his career has progressed, both for better and for worse. ‘La Sainte-Vierge’ tells of the life of a young woman living in a typical Breton village, and the trials which she faces in her life; and ‘The Lover’ demonstrates a fractured and mistrustful relationship.
When using a more controlled and word-restricted framework within her writing, du Maurier is very thorough. Never is anything rushed, nor any space allowed to be wasted. Whilst some plots and characters are far more interesting than others, du Maurier’s writing is strong throughout the collection. Her building of atmosphere and foreboding is nothing short of masterful. She touches upon so many emotions too, and demonstrates the power of compassion, guilt, desperation and adoration. The descriptions which du Maurier has used are incredibly vivid. In ‘La Sainte-Vierge’, for example, ‘The sea shone like splintered silver, while westwards beyond the beacon streams of burnt clouds were massing in a purple haze’. Interestingly, only two of the stories within The Rendezvous and Other Stories are told from the first person perspective, something which du Maurier ordinarily excels at.
In comparison to du Maurier’s other short story collections, there are very few thematic links here. The stories are not shown chronologically, and there does not seem to be any particular order to them. Sadly, this renders the entire collection a little uneven. The Rendezvous and Other Stories is not as compelling as du Maurier’s other work. Whilst there are some wonderful tales here – ‘Split Second’ and ‘No Motive’ are particular standouts – I am of the opinion that this is du Maurier’s weakest and least meticulous short story collection; it does not challenge its readers as her other short stories tend to, and it is also not overly memorable.
Several of these tales were previously featured in magazines before being placed into the collection, which was published in 1980. The Rendezvous and Other Stories is made up of fifteen stories in all. As with all of du Maurier’s short story collections, a diverse range of settings have been used, from Switzerland and Paris to a tiny Yorkshire village. She has also chosen to use a variety of different eras in which to set her stories. The strongest tales in the collection are largely set within the period in which she was writing.
Du Maurier has also made use of an array of plots, all of which serve to keep the reader interested. In the first story, ‘No Motive’, for example, the suicide of a perfectly content woman is investigated; and in ‘Fairy Tale’, an interesting spin on the rags-to-riches story, a destitute couple imagine themselves in an elevated position, away from their constant money troubles and impending homelessness. In the title story, ‘The Rendezvous’, we learn about a novelist and article writer, and the ways in which his career has progressed, both for better and for worse. ‘La Sainte-Vierge’ tells of the life of a young woman living in a typical Breton village, and the trials which she faces in her life; and ‘The Lover’ demonstrates a fractured and mistrustful relationship.
When using a more controlled and word-restricted framework within her writing, du Maurier is very thorough. Never is anything rushed, nor any space allowed to be wasted. Whilst some plots and characters are far more interesting than others, du Maurier’s writing is strong throughout the collection. Her building of atmosphere and foreboding is nothing short of masterful. She touches upon so many emotions too, and demonstrates the power of compassion, guilt, desperation and adoration. The descriptions which du Maurier has used are incredibly vivid. In ‘La Sainte-Vierge’, for example, ‘The sea shone like splintered silver, while westwards beyond the beacon streams of burnt clouds were massing in a purple haze’. Interestingly, only two of the stories within The Rendezvous and Other Stories are told from the first person perspective, something which du Maurier ordinarily excels at.
In comparison to du Maurier’s other short story collections, there are very few thematic links here. The stories are not shown chronologically, and there does not seem to be any particular order to them. Sadly, this renders the entire collection a little uneven. The Rendezvous and Other Stories is not as compelling as du Maurier’s other work. Whilst there are some wonderful tales here – ‘Split Second’ and ‘No Motive’ are particular standouts – I am of the opinion that this is du Maurier’s weakest and least meticulous short story collection; it does not challenge its readers as her other short stories tend to, and it is also not overly memorable.
June 27, 2015
Around a year before I read this book, a friend of mine had read 'Rebecca', by the same author. She brought it on the school bus with her every day, and urged me to read it as well. I admit that at that time I was slightly prejudiced against the book, or rather, my friend's choice of books since she didn't read much and has a fancy for chic lit. I'm sad to say I never even bothered to find out more about the book. Then, another friend showed me this book and said I should read it. I was in the middle of 'The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King' at that time but I'd forgotten to bring it to school and having nothing else to read I started this book and finished the first story 'No Motive' before the end of the day, and the next, 'Panic' on the bus.
This book contains a collection of short stories by Daphne du Maurier, 14 in all. My favourite of the collection is probably the first, 'No Motive'. It was very engaging and i think that the author could have elaborated it to a novel. My other favourites are: 'Panic', 'The Lover', 'The Closing Door', 'La Sainte-Vierge' and 'Indiscretion'.
The writing is fairly engaging, and though some of the stories had a rather abrupt ending('The Supreme Artist') they were all full of suspense and some of them('La Sainte-Vierge', 'The Clsoing Door') were simply heart breaking and to du Maurier's credit she manages to portray helpless and pitiful conditions simply by suggesting it.
This book contains a collection of short stories by Daphne du Maurier, 14 in all. My favourite of the collection is probably the first, 'No Motive'. It was very engaging and i think that the author could have elaborated it to a novel. My other favourites are: 'Panic', 'The Lover', 'The Closing Door', 'La Sainte-Vierge' and 'Indiscretion'.
The writing is fairly engaging, and though some of the stories had a rather abrupt ending('The Supreme Artist') they were all full of suspense and some of them('La Sainte-Vierge', 'The Clsoing Door') were simply heart breaking and to du Maurier's credit she manages to portray helpless and pitiful conditions simply by suggesting it.
February 24, 2014
No Motive: what a heartbreaking story that was but I could not put it down until I came to the end, five stars for that short.
Panic: oh the pig and five stars again.
The Supreme Artist: umm I am not sure with this one, seems unfinished somehow.
Adieu Sagesse: a story about living the dream no matter how old you are. Four stars.
Fairy Tale: ahh a bleak beginning but a nice ending. Four stars again.
The Rendezvous: three stars for this one.
La Sainte-Vierge: no... I did not like this short story.
Leading Lady: three
Panic: oh the pig and five stars again.
The Supreme Artist: umm I am not sure with this one, seems unfinished somehow.
Adieu Sagesse: a story about living the dream no matter how old you are. Four stars.
Fairy Tale: ahh a bleak beginning but a nice ending. Four stars again.
The Rendezvous: three stars for this one.
La Sainte-Vierge: no... I did not like this short story.
Leading Lady: three
June 24, 2013
Even when she wasn't writing at her best, Daphne du Maurier's stories are well-crafted and compelling. These aren't her most fascinating sets of scenarios and protagonists, but they're all well done. She had an amazing way of seeing how the world/people worked, even from the very early stories of her career, which some of these are.
I'm also impressed by her ability to mimic any genre, yet write as always in her own very recognisable style.
I'm also impressed by her ability to mimic any genre, yet write as always in her own very recognisable style.
December 6, 2016
14 great short stories. I enjoyed them but there are better collections of her stories. I really enjoyed No Motive, Indiscretion and my favourite one Split Second.
January 29, 2018
«L'uomo al timone non si girò a guardare, neppure una volta. Davanti a lui si stendeva il mare aperto: triste, terribile, misterioso. Il richiamo si levò dentro di lui. Divenne parte di lui, per sempre. Cieli grigi, mari grigi.
Adieu Sagesse.»
Ciò che salta subito all'occhio di chi si è già approcciato alla Du Maurier è la varietà dei racconti in "Rendez-vous" in termini di efficacia e di svolgimento della trama: si tratta infatti di storie che l'autrice ha composto nel corso della sua vita - anche se purtroppo non ho reperito una cronologia esatta.
Nonostante alcune (poche) trame "fiacche", la raccolta è molto godibile, anche per la straordinaria brevità della maggior parte dei racconti; tuttavia il meglio giunge da quelli più lunghi. In particolare l'ultimo è in assoluto uno dei migliori, il motivo per cui ho chiuso questo libro con un senso di soddisfazione che mi ha fatto dimenticare la lieve delusione per le storie meno riuscite.
Si trovano seminati tòpoi narrativi che ritornano, a mio parere molto più sviluppati e riusciti, in altre opere quali "Alibi" (racconto di apertura ne "Il punto di rottura"), "I parassiti" e "Rebecca". Tra questi, torna più volte il tema della barca e del mare, che l'autrice carica sempre di un forte significato simbolico e che rimanda all'idea della libertà, della fuga da una vita cui i personaggi sentono di non appartenere.
Ma i più grandi temi sono due, e l'autrice vi si destreggia magnificamente. Uno, smaccatamente autobiografico, è quello del teatro, declinato in varie forme che spaziano dal lavoro dell'attore alla giornata media di un uomo pieno di amanti che recita con ognuna la parte del perfetto innamorato. Il secondo, ciò che rende la Du Maurier una scrittrice riconoscibile, è quello delle relazioni umane, spesso costruite su castelli di illusioni, di bugie, di rimpianti: perché sono proprio i difetti di queste relazioni a renderci irrimediabilmente compassionevoli verso ogni personaggio da lei tratteggiato.
Adieu Sagesse.»
Ciò che salta subito all'occhio di chi si è già approcciato alla Du Maurier è la varietà dei racconti in "Rendez-vous" in termini di efficacia e di svolgimento della trama: si tratta infatti di storie che l'autrice ha composto nel corso della sua vita - anche se purtroppo non ho reperito una cronologia esatta.
Nonostante alcune (poche) trame "fiacche", la raccolta è molto godibile, anche per la straordinaria brevità della maggior parte dei racconti; tuttavia il meglio giunge da quelli più lunghi. In particolare l'ultimo è in assoluto uno dei migliori, il motivo per cui ho chiuso questo libro con un senso di soddisfazione che mi ha fatto dimenticare la lieve delusione per le storie meno riuscite.
Si trovano seminati tòpoi narrativi che ritornano, a mio parere molto più sviluppati e riusciti, in altre opere quali "Alibi" (racconto di apertura ne "Il punto di rottura"), "I parassiti" e "Rebecca". Tra questi, torna più volte il tema della barca e del mare, che l'autrice carica sempre di un forte significato simbolico e che rimanda all'idea della libertà, della fuga da una vita cui i personaggi sentono di non appartenere.
Ma i più grandi temi sono due, e l'autrice vi si destreggia magnificamente. Uno, smaccatamente autobiografico, è quello del teatro, declinato in varie forme che spaziano dal lavoro dell'attore alla giornata media di un uomo pieno di amanti che recita con ognuna la parte del perfetto innamorato. Il secondo, ciò che rende la Du Maurier una scrittrice riconoscibile, è quello delle relazioni umane, spesso costruite su castelli di illusioni, di bugie, di rimpianti: perché sono proprio i difetti di queste relazioni a renderci irrimediabilmente compassionevoli verso ogni personaggio da lei tratteggiato.
October 22, 2021
The first short story was marvelous ! The other ones were OK, but lingering too much on pompous, shallow individuals became repetitive and a bit annoying. The last story was interesting but went on too long. . Good writing but excepting the first short story this collection lacked the spark that made me fall inlove with Rebecca and Don't Look Now.
January 15, 2024
Du Maurier's writing always puts me on edge, even when her stories seem to be happy, there is always a sharp edge somewhere, just when one is being lulled into a false sense of security.
This collection of riveting short stories is no different. Du Maurier had a gift of making the mundane exciting and unusual. Two men discussing love in a pub over lunch eventually come to realise they fell for the same young woman, a famous actress manipulates two men to get what she wants, and a bizarre ship acts as an escort to a crew trying to return to England during the second world war.
The title story, The Rendezvous was so beautifully descriptive, I could envision the lakes, the fancy hotel and the promenade. The plot went in an unpredictable and quite humorous direction when a famous writer, certain he will be enjoying the company of a beautiful, admiring young woman has his plans thwarted by an Adonis-type beach lifeguard.
My favourite story though was the last one, Split Second. It kept me guessing almost to the end as the protagonist, Mrs Ellis returns home from a walk and finds a group of strangers have taken over her home. It reminded me somewhat of an episode of Tales of the Unexpected. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, desperate to see how it would end, and I wasn't disappointed.
This collection of riveting short stories is no different. Du Maurier had a gift of making the mundane exciting and unusual. Two men discussing love in a pub over lunch eventually come to realise they fell for the same young woman, a famous actress manipulates two men to get what she wants, and a bizarre ship acts as an escort to a crew trying to return to England during the second world war.
The title story, The Rendezvous was so beautifully descriptive, I could envision the lakes, the fancy hotel and the promenade. The plot went in an unpredictable and quite humorous direction when a famous writer, certain he will be enjoying the company of a beautiful, admiring young woman has his plans thwarted by an Adonis-type beach lifeguard.
My favourite story though was the last one, Split Second. It kept me guessing almost to the end as the protagonist, Mrs Ellis returns home from a walk and finds a group of strangers have taken over her home. It reminded me somewhat of an episode of Tales of the Unexpected. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, desperate to see how it would end, and I wasn't disappointed.
September 6, 2022
I picked up this collection as it was one of a few books by du Maurier I wanted/needed to read. I bloody love Daphne's writing! The opening story, "No Motive", is hands down one of the best short stories I've ever read. It's just so good - perfect! I've been thinking about it since I first read it. "Split Second", the last one in this collection, is also really good and I liked "Panic" and "Escort".
Quite a few stories in The Rendezvous and Other Stories are du Maurier's very early stories - from when she was just over 20 years old or so, and although they're not amazing and I didn't love them, it's still interesting to read them and see how the author was inspired by the most mundane and everyday situations. The introduction to this edition as well as the preface were excellent too.
Quite a few stories in The Rendezvous and Other Stories are du Maurier's very early stories - from when she was just over 20 years old or so, and although they're not amazing and I didn't love them, it's still interesting to read them and see how the author was inspired by the most mundane and everyday situations. The introduction to this edition as well as the preface were excellent too.
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