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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
"Dead men tell no tales, Mary."
A few months ago, I read My Cousin Rachel and absolutely loved it, it left me eager to discover more of Daphne du Maurier's books. I didn't want to read Rebecca straight away, because it's her most popular, but thought I would give a chance to Jamaica Inn, as it seemed so intriguing.
This novel follows Mary Yellan, a 23 year old orphan who has to go live with her aunt at Jamaica Inn, in Cornwall. There, she discovered that her aunt is married to the violent and abusive Joss Merlyn, the innkeeper, who is involved in dubious business.
I absolutely loved the gothic atmosphere du Maurier created in Jamaica Inn. It is set in the 1820s in a lonely area of Cornwall, in a mysterious inn honest men avoids at all costs. This creepy atmosphere is complete with scenes in the middle of the night and riding on the moor. This novel depicted all the darkness you can find in human nature, through Joss, who was the epitome of that, but also through secondary characters who lie and steal without questioning their morals.
The characters were deeply flawed and weren't written to be likeable. Mary Yellan is an isolated orphan, who was very brave and clever, I was happy to have her as the main character, for she was the most likeable character. Her uncle (by alliance) Joss Merlyn was a violent, alcoholic and abusive man, while her aunt Patience was scared, passive and obeying her husband in all things. It was very interesting to read about abuse in this situation, because the author showed that it wasn't okay through Mary Yellan's reactions, but also depicted the victim's reactions through Patience, which helped the reader to take both points of view into consideration: it's harder to recognize an abusive relationship and to get out of it when you are yourself the victim. Mary Yellan also had a questionable love interest, Jem Merlyn, her uncle's (by alliance) younger brother, in whom you could see the seeds of Joss' behaviour.
The inn itself was almost a character, because it is the focus of the entire novel and the plot. It was such a creepy place but I absolutely loved it. Besides, I enjoyed the plot a lot, it was full of twists and I didn't discover them right away.
Once again, this is a novel which made me excited to read more of Daphne du Maurier's novels and short stories.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love Daphne Du Maurier's writing. It completely sucked me into the story from the very beginning to the last page. However I couldn't give it a high rating as I didn't particularly love the story, especially compared to Rebecca, and it felt a little too overblown and dramatic even to me. It was worth the read but I would suggest reading Rebecca if you want to try the author.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is amazing. I wish I could stay in this book forever.
Compelling and eerie, with a tough nineteenth-century heroine, if not quite as spine-chilling as [b:Rebecca|17899948|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386605169s/17899948.jpg|46663].
Jamaica Inn (1936) is an early novel by Daphne du Maurier, the famed writer of Rebecca. I’ve read books by du Maurier before, The Birds and Other Stories and Don’t Look Now and Other Stories, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed but I had yet to read a novel by her. Jamaica Inn reads like a Brontë novel. Our protagonist, Mary, loses her mother and is sent away to live with her aunt in Jamaica Inn, a Cornish inn. However, strange things are going on in Jamaica Inn. There hasn’t been a guest in months, stage coaches gallop passed, and many locals fear even talking about the place. It’s quite hard to believe that this novel wasn’t written in the 19th century. Du Maurier writes with such authority and authenticity that, in many scenes, it out Brontës the Brontës. I’m glad I read this before Rebecca because I’ve heard literally so many amazing things about that novel that I fear every other du Maurier novel that I read after it will be unfairly compared. Thankfully my edition of Jamaica Inn is actually part of a bind-up which also includes Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek, and My Cousin Rachel which is basically block of literary cocaine. Lucky me.
I've had Jamaica Inn on my TBR for years, ever since reading Rebecca (multiple times) and loving My Cousin Rachel just as much. And right out of the gate the atmosphere she sets in Cornwall at the Jamaica Inn is pretty spectacular. But for some reason I could not connect with this plot, which did not feel like her other psychological thrillers. I expected much more about a creepy, British Inn but instead this is about a group of "wreckers" (who run ships aground so they can steal the cargo), and felt like I was watching a Hollywood movie - a bad one. Nothing about this felt like a duMaurier novel, (or at least the ones I know) with the exception of the first hour or so. The narration is excellent, I had no issue with that. The story itself just didn't hold a candle to the other two, which I hold among the greatest thriller/mysteries I've ever read. So the bar was set high, but this didn't come close.