3.81 AVERAGE

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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: Yes

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.

daphne’s love for the brontë sisters is so vivid in this book and i deeply, deeply appreciate that. this was fascinating and dark and suffocating and of course, beautifully written.
i love this woman.
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Audio

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this one but not as much as [b:Rebecca|12873|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327871977s/12873.jpg|46663]. A good thriller with a surprising twist at the end.

The narrator was good except for the voice of the main character. Worst female voice by a man ever! I will eventually reread this in physical book format and I'm sure enjoy it even more.

“Dead men tell no tales, Mary.”

The story of Mary Wellan and her journey to the haunting, dark and fascinating Cornish cost. The tale of a land haunted by terrible crimes, where the souls of the lost cry for justice. A story of obsession, secrecy and violence. A woman’s determination to help the ones in need and to find a path of her own.

I first read Jamaica Inn at the age of thirteen and since then, Cornwall has occupied a significant place in my heart. Images of moonlit rocks, stormy waves and a lantern flickering in the dark...Many contemporary writers have tried to imitate the tone, the atmosphere and the characterization of Daphne du Maurier’s masterpiece.

Yeah, right…

“Because I want to; because I must; because now and forever more this is where I belong to be.”
adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes