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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
As with 'Rebecca', my favourite part of du Maurier's writing here is again the creation of atmosphere - the endless descriptions of the moors; how they went from gloomy to terrifying; the rain and the howling winds and the numb feet; the gaiety of Launceston and the feeling of being free - which is incredibly sustained.
The novel is so pure and vivid, that you can often feel the rain or the see the fog, feel Mary's shiver of discomfort - and I feel that the language is very accessible, unlike many novels that are deemed classic, 'Jamaica Inn' reads aseasily as a modern thriller.
Because it is so beautifully written, readers might be able to forget that there is a plot attached to all of this imagery - for me, it was secondary to the writing. I felt that her moral struggle, becoming part of, and witness to the evils done by her uncle and his followers was balanced by her good intentions and her acknowledgement of the horror.
The only action I did not really feel fit with Mary's narrative was hopping onto Jem's cart to go north - like her Aunt Patience, she fell in love with a storm, and I guess the difference is that Jem, while crude and a thief, is not an evil man and so Mary could love him with that purity of heart. So in the end, 'Jamaica Inn' came across as both a moral tale and a human one, and I highly recommend it. 5 stars.
The novel is so pure and vivid, that you can often feel the rain or the see the fog, feel Mary's shiver of discomfort - and I feel that the language is very accessible, unlike many novels that are deemed classic, 'Jamaica Inn' reads aseasily as a modern thriller.
Because it is so beautifully written, readers might be able to forget that there is a plot attached to all of this imagery - for me, it was secondary to the writing. I felt that her moral struggle, becoming part of, and witness to the evils done by her uncle and his followers was balanced by her good intentions and her acknowledgement of the horror.
The only action I did not really feel fit with Mary's narrative was hopping onto Jem's cart to go north - like her Aunt Patience, she fell in love with a storm, and I guess the difference is that Jem, while crude and a thief, is not an evil man and so Mary could love him with that purity of heart. So in the end, 'Jamaica Inn' came across as both a moral tale and a human one, and I highly recommend it. 5 stars.
I love Daphne du Maurier. My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca were both powerful gut-punchy novels and I went into Jamaica Inn expecting the same sort of thing. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. The story was straightforward, deliciously suspenseful and atmospheric, but without all of the shocking twists and turns that made the aforementioned books so memorable. From someone else, this might have been a five star book, but compared to du Maurier's other work, it falls short. Maybe this is because it was one of her earliest novels, before the success of Rebecca, or perhaps my two favorites of du Maurier's work are flukes, and most of her work is like Jamaica Inn. That remains to be seen, but I am still a devoted du Maurier fan girl, and this book was solid.
Jamaica Inn tells the story of plucky young heroine Mary Yellan who, after her mother dies, moves to the titular inn to live with her vibrant Aunt Patience and Patience's supposedly amazing husband, Joss Merlyn. When Mary arrives, though, she realizes that her preconceptions were flawed. Aunt Patience is no longer the vibrant youth Mary remembers, Joss is hardly the Prince Charming that she expected, and Jamaica Inn is a seedy place that the locals distrust. Mary makes the best of it, but she soon realizes that Jamaica Inn hides a lot of secrets, and none of them are good.
I liked Mary Yellan. She was a tough-as-nails, rebellious, hardcore young woman who didn't back down from anybody. She wasn't taking any of Joss Merlyn's shit, except as much as was required to stay with her Aunt Patience. I liked her romance with Jem, the sort of reluctant way that she fell in love with him, and how charming he was. Sure, he was sexist as hell, as were most of the characters in this book, but he was still attractive in that "bad boy" kind of way.
Despite being a tough girl, Mary made a few dumb decisions, and I saw them coming from a mile away even though it wasn't confirmed until the "grand reveal" toward the end of the book. But predictability doesn't always ruin a book for me. I didn't mind that the ending was predictable, because I enjoyed the journey to get to that point very much. Jamaica Inn's greatest strength is the atmosphere. I love the windswept, desolate moors of the Cornish countryside. It is reminiscent of the Brontes, who of course I love as well.
3-stars, although it would be 5-stars from anybody but my beloved Daphne.
Jamaica Inn tells the story of plucky young heroine Mary Yellan who, after her mother dies, moves to the titular inn to live with her vibrant Aunt Patience and Patience's supposedly amazing husband, Joss Merlyn. When Mary arrives, though, she realizes that her preconceptions were flawed. Aunt Patience is no longer the vibrant youth Mary remembers, Joss is hardly the Prince Charming that she expected, and Jamaica Inn is a seedy place that the locals distrust. Mary makes the best of it, but she soon realizes that Jamaica Inn hides a lot of secrets, and none of them are good.
I liked Mary Yellan. She was a tough-as-nails, rebellious, hardcore young woman who didn't back down from anybody. She wasn't taking any of Joss Merlyn's shit, except as much as was required to stay with her Aunt Patience. I liked her romance with Jem, the sort of reluctant way that she fell in love with him, and how charming he was. Sure, he was sexist as hell, as were most of the characters in this book, but he was still attractive in that "bad boy" kind of way.
Despite being a tough girl, Mary made a few dumb decisions, and I saw them coming from a mile away even though it wasn't confirmed until the "grand reveal" toward the end of the book. But predictability doesn't always ruin a book for me. I didn't mind that the ending was predictable, because I enjoyed the journey to get to that point very much. Jamaica Inn's greatest strength is the atmosphere. I love the windswept, desolate moors of the Cornish countryside. It is reminiscent of the Brontes, who of course I love as well.
3-stars, although it would be 5-stars from anybody but my beloved Daphne.
There's a good deal to this book, but the narrative is a little weak and the style is very heavy and wooden. It raises interesting questions about agency and the roles people play: Mary is a woman and tells herself that she has a role to play as such, and it is frustrating at times to see her so hampered by those roles. The line between good and bad is blurred very well, and people who do bad things are given a degree of depth. However the characters are overall too obvious, and lack a little depth to them; rarely does anyone do anything that reveals much about themselves, and the twist is bizarre and rather poorly handled. There are exciting episodes, but I can't help but feel that this book doesn't quite live up to its own expectations. It is attempting to be a bildungsroman along the lines of Jane Eyre, but doesn't quite get there. Not a terrible read, and worth it if you visit Cornwall; but otherwise a little flat.
Cornwall, a dark inn, the eerie moors, smugglers, murder - what more could you want!
A fantastic read, atmospheric and gripping and classic du Maurier - would give it 4 and a half if I had the option!
A fantastic read, atmospheric and gripping and classic du Maurier - would give it 4 and a half if I had the option!
One of my favourite childhood books was about wreckers but I don't think I've ever read another about them so it was so exciting to dive back into that dangerous world. Du Maurier is one of those authors where I just want to get all of their work in my hands and devour it. There's a reason that the 'Master of Suspense' Alfred Hitchcock decided to adapt her books, including this one, and it's that she always created such an unnerving creeping atmosphere. I really love the protagonist of this book, Mary, and although I would definitely have run away from the situation that she's in, Du Maurier does such a good job setting up why she would stay to defend her last remaining relative or at least give her some comfort. The uncle is such an awful man, but a great forward-facing villain, while you try to work out if the other pretty awful people around are even worse. His brother Jem is definitely not as bad, but he is a disturbingly charming jerk, and although it feels like a tragedy, I understand why Mary would fall for him.
⭐3'75/5⭐
Es el primer contacto que tengo con la autora y debo reconocer que me ha gustado bastante cómo escribe. La ambientación es sin duda uno de sus fuertes y lo hace estupendamente.
No sabía qué me iba encontrar en este libro (no me leí ni la sinopsis) y me ha sorprendido positivamente. Si bien es cierto que me costó conectar totalmente con la historia, es muy fácil de leer y a partir de la mitad la cosa se pone muy interesante, hace que no quieras terminar de leer
Es el primer contacto que tengo con la autora y debo reconocer que me ha gustado bastante cómo escribe. La ambientación es sin duda uno de sus fuertes y lo hace estupendamente.
No sabía qué me iba encontrar en este libro (no me leí ni la sinopsis) y me ha sorprendido positivamente. Si bien es cierto que me costó conectar totalmente con la historia, es muy fácil de leer y a partir de la mitad la cosa se pone muy interesante, hace que no quieras terminar de leer
Can't get enough of this author's work. She is a master at character driven suspense.
Actual rating: 3.5, but I'm rounding it up to 4 because of the writing and the bitter-sweet (but mostly bitter) ending.
It's definitely not as good as Rebecca or My cousin Rachel (my personal favourite) but it's an enjoyable read.
It's definitely not as good as Rebecca or My cousin Rachel (my personal favourite) but it's an enjoyable read.
En mi opinión es un libro que resalta por lo bien definidos que están los paisajes y el ambiente que rodea la historia, lo cual permite al lector adentrarse con facilidad en el mundo inquietante y desolador que presenta la autora. He disfrutado bastante durante el transcurso del libro, pero el final me ha parecido algo llano comparado con el resto de la historia. Con esto no digo que sea un final malo, ni mucho menos, pero mis expectativas estaban demasiado altas, ya que la autora va preparando el terreno a fuego lento para un desenlace muy ansiado que finalmente no me ha impresionado tanto como esperaba. Aún así, la historia, la protagonista, la delicadeza con la que está narrada la acción, todo eso lo compensa. Es el primer libro que leo de Daphne du Maurier y me he quedado con ganas de leer más de sus obras, lo cual es buena señal.