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A review by jacki_f
Rule Britannia; A Novel by Daphne du Maurier
3.0
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.