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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I'm a huge fan od du Maurier but this one was a major snoozefest
A fantastic read, was different to her other books that I've read.
Another book from Daphne du Maurier which I loved! I like how the story is made up of the present and detailed flashbacks which show the characters' lives and how they got to the present day. I liked the different characters and their personalities. A great story.
I appreciate that the author gives the shallow characters a nice backstory and depth. But it didn't help enough The characters were all so annoying and frustrating. Well done but ugh, annoying over priveledged people
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i love daphne’s writing style - and this book has something of woolf’s ‘mrs dalloway’ in it, in the way that it is full of recollections and narrative pov switches. it made me strangely emotional, towards the end, in Celia’s last chapter. the cover of my edition is a washed lilac-grey, and the book fits that colour.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
Much better than the last one (King’s General). I found the characters infuriating but very well crafted.
For this novel, I'd put du Maurier in the same box as Waugh and Fitzgerald. But it wasn't enough to be in the same box as Shelley.
Her writing was exquisite and the character building was magical. However, I found the storyline a little bit dull. Every time I wanted to stop reading this novel, one of the characters will burst into series of riveting monologue and open interesting philosophical exploration; on allusion of God, intricate relationships between a Mother and her son, between a Father and his daughter, between a brother and a sister, among others. And all these explorations started from a simple statement; "You are a parasite".
Her writing was exquisite and the character building was magical. However, I found the storyline a little bit dull. Every time I wanted to stop reading this novel, one of the characters will burst into series of riveting monologue and open interesting philosophical exploration; on allusion of God, intricate relationships between a Mother and her son, between a Father and his daughter, between a brother and a sister, among others. And all these explorations started from a simple statement; "You are a parasite".
This book is very different to the du Maurier I have read so far, something I would not have normally picked up myself but was actually quite incredible. It's dark in a very different way to the usual Gothic style to her novels and I really appreciated that. It wasn't the easiest book to get in to, it didn't have me at the first page like several others have, but once I was in to it I read it quickly.
Make no mistake, the characters in this book are detestable and I think if anyone else had written this I would probably have DNF-ed it. But du Maurier is a genius and Maria, Niall and Celia were intentionally detestable which made it somewhat more bearable. Their symbiotic relationship was both disturbing and intriguing and one I found I couldn't step back from. She flipped back and forth from past and present and through different perspectives seamlessly and I really, really cannot fault this woman technically. The reason this is a 4/5 - the ending was just a bit disappointing!
My inner completist is very smug right now because I would honestly not have picked this book up if it wasn't for the name on the front cover, and I really enjoyed this.
Make no mistake, the characters in this book are detestable and I think if anyone else had written this I would probably have DNF-ed it. But du Maurier is a genius and Maria, Niall and Celia were intentionally detestable which made it somewhat more bearable. Their symbiotic relationship was both disturbing and intriguing and one I found I couldn't step back from. She flipped back and forth from past and present and through different perspectives seamlessly and I really, really cannot fault this woman technically. The reason this is a 4/5 - the ending was just a bit disappointing!
My inner completist is very smug right now because I would honestly not have picked this book up if it wasn't for the name on the front cover, and I really enjoyed this.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes