Uploaded January 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The redoubtable Daphne du Maurier, whose perennially popular novels never go out of print, was every bit as intriguing as her fiction.
As a handsome assortment of books will attest, several reviewed here, she was a member of a famous family, which included her theatrical father, Sir Gerald, and grandfather George, both of whom left an indelible mark on their own times. But the touchstone by which she herself was judged was her lifelong love for Cornwall, which radiates and illuminates her fiction.
Of the latter, her classic remains Rebecca, closely followed by My Cousin Rachel, Frenchman's Creek, and your correspondent's personal favourite, Hungry Hill. But when it comes to film, it is Rebecca that dominates. After no less than three versions to date, beginning with Alfred Hitchcock's, yet a fourth is being cast even as this is written, featuring Lily James, of Downton Abbey fame, as the second Mrs de Winter, and Armie Hammer as Max (the dreaded Mrs Danvers has yet to be cast). It already bodes well to becoming the one to beat.
But through it all, Daphne du Maurier lives durably on, and the story of her life remains as fascinating as her fiction. In that regard, a few handsome suggestions herewith.
Please visit us at bookreviewsandvideos.com
The redoubtable Daphne du Maurier, whose perennially popular novels never go out of print, was every bit as intriguing as her fiction.
As a handsome assortment of books will attest, several reviewed here, she was a member of a famous family, which included her theatrical father, Sir Gerald, and grandfather George, both of whom left an indelible mark on their own times. But the touchstone by which she herself was judged was her lifelong love for Cornwall, which radiates and illuminates her fiction.
Of the latter, her classic remains Rebecca, closely followed by My Cousin Rachel, Frenchman's Creek, and your correspondent's personal favourite, Hungry Hill. But when it comes to film, it is Rebecca that dominates. After no less than three versions to date, beginning with Alfred Hitchcock's, yet a fourth is being cast even as this is written, featuring Lily James, of Downton Abbey fame, as the second Mrs de Winter, and Armie Hammer as Max (the dreaded Mrs Danvers has yet to be cast). It already bodes well to becoming the one to beat.
But through it all, Daphne du Maurier lives durably on, and the story of her life remains as fascinating as her fiction. In that regard, a few handsome suggestions herewith.
Please visit us at bookreviewsandvideos.com
