Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

22 reviews

electrogrey's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not as good as 'Rebecca' but definitely gets better as the story progresses. Last 5/10 chapters I was unable to put the book down, lots of plot twists as well
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mary_juleyre's review against another edition

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adventurous sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Daphne Du Maurier knows how to write settings that leap off the page and stories that fill the reader with dread. I also learned so much, about the moors and landscape (like what tors are), along with some of the goings-on of the time that I knew nothing about prior to reading this book
 (like what wreckers are)
. While I didn’t love this one as much as Rebecca, due to some problematic characterizations, it was still a page turner and very fitting within the du Maurier style that I have come to expect. Plus, it was neat to read a historical fiction book written by an author from a different era than both the time it’s set and our present time (written in the late 1930s, but book set in the 19th century). 
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mairaculi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark

3.0

I didn't love it. It's a very atmospheric novel and I liked the setting on the moors. It was also engaging and never boring.

But it felt a bit staged. I got this 'story by recipe' feeling from this book: Take all your ingredients (strong female lead, rough nature setting, dark November night, a mysterious old house, bad guys, handsome stranger,...) mix them together and your sure to end up with a great story. But it didn't work out for me, it was too obvious.

What didn't help was that I didn't get Mary's character. Her 'I don't need a man' attitude didn't go well with her 'I can't because I'm a woman' mindset and what especially irked me was the 'he kissed me once therefore I now belong to him' logic - not romantic to me. The love story was not convincing. Her love interest didn't feel at all like the 'mysterious stranger' I was promised. The mystery itself also didn't feel very mysterious to me and while I didn't see it coming I was not surprised but rather disappointed with the twist at the end, especially with how stereotypical the character in question had been portrayed.
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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I started reading this back in 2017 and I’ve only now picked it up again. I’ve read quite a few of Daphne Du Maurier’s works and I found this book to have the most unsettling tone of all of them all (a reason I initially put it down). The story was fantastic and gritty as always, but I had trouble getting into this one as I have with the others. I don’t know if the large reading gap contributed or not. I’m curious to watch one of the many screen adaptations of this to see if it influences my lasting opinion. 
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booksandmo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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josieruby1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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angelaf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Jamaica Inn paints an adventurous tale of a young woman who inadvertently gets mixed up with smugglers in Cornwall. Throughout the story, though, Mary Yellan reacts with spirit and pluck. The moody, atmospheric tone places Jamaica Inn in the tradition of Gothic novels, while the twist cements the novel in the oeuvre of du Maurier's Rebecca. Overall, the book feels lighter than Rebecca with an almost swashbuckling tone. A plus: Daphne du Maurier was inspired to write the novel after visitng the actual Jamaica Inn on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Read if you enjoy: strong female characters, Gothic novels, twists, adventure and melodrama
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lonloveslit's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read Jamaica Inn as part of a book club I’m in and just wow. I love that bookstagram is encouraging me to read things I never would have chosen myself, because I end up finding absolute geniuses like Daphne du Maurier.

With the awful death of her mother, Mary Yellan follows her dying wish and goes to live with her aunt at Jamaica Inn. The behaviour of those she meets on the way there makes her nervous, though. Doors are bolted shut and eyes are averted at the mention of the inn. What could possibly be so awful awaiting her there?

Du Maurier writes in such an incredible way, achieving the difficult task of describing the Cornish landscape in remarkable detail while drawing you in and not appearing to ramble. The moors are dark, dangerous, reflecting the turmoil of Mary’s uncle by marriage, Joss Merlyn, and the dealings at the inn that would make a grown man’s hair stand on end.

Absolutely incredible, I can’t wait to read more of her work!
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outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

2021 re-read.

Re-reading this book again, it has lost none of the author's power of imagery. I could hear the waves crashing on the rocks, feel the freezing driving rain, and almost see the mist over the moors. In fact after this reading, I have revised my rating up to 5 stars. Dark, dramatic, and compelling.

>>>>>
Mary Yellan goes to live at Jamaica Inn with her aunt Patience and her husband Joss. Patience is not as Mary remembers her and there is something amiss at Jamaica Inn. Can she trust Joss's younger brother Jem? I have read this several times and enjoyed it again each time. I also liked the tv adaptation with Jane Seymour, Trevor Eve and Patrick McGoohan - it's well worth a look if you haven't seen it. 
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