A review by kailey_luminouslibro
Rule Britannia by Daphne du Maurier

Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.

Emma has grown up in Cornwall with her grandmother, Madam, who also adopted 6 troubled orphan boys. The boys (aged 3 to 17) run rampant around the house, and Madam (nicknamed Mad) does little to control them, instead allowing their imaginations to run free and joining in their wild and violent games. When the USA and UK declare a merging of their governments, American Marines set up blockades on the road and cut the telephone service, basically setting up martial law for an undetermined period of time while the government transitions. Mad is furious, and she encourages the boys and all the townsfolk to rebel against the new government. 

This book was so awful on so many levels. Everyone in the whole household is insane. Madam's nickname is literally "Mad", and the housekeeper's name is Dotty. There are tons of references in the plot that give you a hint that they are all deranged in some way. Emma is the only one who seems somewhat normal, but as she sees the rest of them engaging in more and more violent and irrational behavior, she decides to just accept it and join in because she loves them all. So toxic and gross. 

There is some profanity, but what was really disgusting was that the older boys taught the youngest 3-year-old child to say curse words. And there is quite a bit of violence and descriptions of guts and blood. An 11-year-old child commits murder, and Mad and the rest of the family hide the body. The child shows no remorse. He is proud of his "first kill." This book is so messed up. 

To see all the descriptions of violence and profanity, check out the book on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/rule-britannia-2082976
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