fionamccarthy's reviews
52 reviews

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed this book. It was a mysterious, dark story, with the tension building from the very first page. The writing was beautiful, with wonderful descriptions of the wintery moor setting:

Out of the silence came the whisper of the wind again. It rose and fell, making a moan upon the stones. This was a new wind, with a sob and a cry behind it, a wind that came from nowhere, bound from no shore.

So atmospheric! Although, overall I found I read a bit too fast to fully appreciate the language, so I didn’t note many other passages.

Mary was a wonderful character, very different to the timid female protagonist of Rebecca (the only other de Maurier book I have read). While there seemed to be a theme touched on of the weakness of women,  Mary was very self-influencing and brave in contrast to this. And I even enjoyed the love story plot, the mysterious gothic characters and moorish setting reminding me of my old favourite Jane Eyre.