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jacki_f 's review for:
Rule Britannia; A Novel
by Daphne du Maurier
Rule Britannia was written 34 years after Rebecca and the Cornish setting is about the only thing it has in common. DDM envisaged it as a satirical novel and hoped people would find it funny, but a lot of the humour (if it was ever funny) hasn’t aged well. As an example, there’s a running gag about a young black boy whose vocabulary consists purely of swearwords.
Written in 1972, Rule Britannia is set in a fictional near future. The UK has had a break with the European Union, has joined forces with the US instead and US troops have moved in to restore order. It’s centered on a blended family living in a Cornish manor, headed up by Mad (short for Madam) a former actress who is now nearly 80. Living with her are her 20 year old granddaughter Emma and her six adopted sons who range in age from 3 to 18. They are outraged by the US “invasion” and intend to fight it.
After a slightly slow start the story gripped me and there are a couple of twists that made me gasp. Also how beautiful is the cover of my (library) edition? Yes I’m shallow enough to like a book more because it’s pretty. However it’s far from her best. The ending is anticlimatic and as I mentioned above, this does feel like it’s aged badly.
Written in 1972, Rule Britannia is set in a fictional near future. The UK has had a break with the European Union, has joined forces with the US instead and US troops have moved in to restore order. It’s centered on a blended family living in a Cornish manor, headed up by Mad (short for Madam) a former actress who is now nearly 80. Living with her are her 20 year old granddaughter Emma and her six adopted sons who range in age from 3 to 18. They are outraged by the US “invasion” and intend to fight it.
After a slightly slow start the story gripped me and there are a couple of twists that made me gasp. Also how beautiful is the cover of my (library) edition? Yes I’m shallow enough to like a book more because it’s pretty. However it’s far from her best. The ending is anticlimatic and as I mentioned above, this does feel like it’s aged badly.