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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Daphne du Maurier's short story The Breakthrough has been reprinted by itself as the third book of the Penguin Moderns series. I have read it before, but was very much looking forward to coming back to it. Whilst not quite amongst my favourite pieces of her short work, there is so much here to admire. First published in 1966, 'The Breakthrough' still surprises and startles, even upon a second reading. I found this a chilling tale, and whilst I do not want to give any details of the plot away in my review, it is one which I would highly recommend.
I thoroughly enjoyed du Maurier's short story. It truly conveyed the thin sway between ethical and unethical with regards to its subject matter and it was this that created the feeling of unease left once finished.
I’m finding it very hard to review this one as I am not used to reading such short stories. A lot happened in the 58 pages of this book. As it was my first du Maurier I feel like I got a glimpse of her style of writing and it has made me want to read more of her work. She is very good at building atmosphere and scene setting within such a short space of time and some of her character development was impressive given the length of the book. On the other hand I felt it’s size did let itself down when it came to detail and explaining some of the plot- I really had to suspend belief when reading this.
Ultimately I did enjoy this little book for what it was and I’m excited to try more du Maurier in the future.
Ultimately I did enjoy this little book for what it was and I’m excited to try more du Maurier in the future.
I really enjoyed this and found it really well paced and easy to read!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was certainly a strange read but I enjoyed it. It's about a group of scientists trying to find out what happens after death and Du Maurier's writing is really what made it for work for me. Her signature dark atmosphere really lifted the story and once again I'm reminded how excited I am to read more by her.
