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5th out of 286 books
—
223 voters
Frenchman's Creek
"Highly personalized adventure, ultra-romantic mood, and skillful storytelling." New York Times DAPHNE DU MAURIER'S LOST CLASSIC; AN ELECTRIFYING TALE OF LOVE AND SCANDAL ON THE HIGH SEAS.
Jaded by the numbing politeness of Restoration London, Lady Dona St. Columb revolts against high society. She rides into the countryside, guided only by her restlessness and her longing t...more
Jaded by the numbing politeness of Restoration London, Lady Dona St. Columb revolts against high society. She rides into the countryside, guided only by her restlessness and her longing t...more
Paperback, 260 pages
Published
May 1st 2003
by Virago Press Ltd
(first published 1941)
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I loved this. It's really true, the story has all good elements. Pirates, the English coast, amazing descriptive writing, the best dialog. I don't love that Dona is already married, but I do see what emotional restraints Du Maurier wanted to create. The Frenchman is so intriguing. His actions and the things he says, I loved. Who wouldn't want to spend time with someone like him. The side characters are all different and fun to read. William's dialog with Dona and the ridiculousness of Lord Godol...more
Loved this book.
It had pirates.
It had Frenchmen.
It had a love story.
It had intrigue.
It had scandal.
It had clean language.
It had beautiful writing.
It's a great read.
It had pirates.
It had Frenchmen.
It had a love story.
It had intrigue.
It had scandal.
It had clean language.
It had beautiful writing.
It's a great read.
At first, I couldn't decide whether to give it three or four stars. With such high expectations the story came off a little flat, I guess. The characters have to be very interesting and truthful to captivate me. I would have liked to get to know the Frenchman better. Either he was one dimensional or I didn't get a chance to figure him out, which is sad because he was a charming fellow. However, something seems to be missing. The author has a wonderful way of writing when it comes to everything e...more
8 likes · like · see review
Well, it's not often I pick up a novel and barely move from my chair until I've finished it. I'm not that kind of reader. But this one really held me. It's Du Maurier at her usual high standard, this one about, of all things, a swashbuckling pirate raiding the south coast of England in the late 17th century and the young woman who is swept off her feet by his brashness and romantic mystery. What could be more trite? Errol Flynn made a living doing versions of this. But Du Maurier does it so much...more
12 likes · like · see review
I'd say my ramblings here are my opinion rather than a proper review. You've been warned; continue reading if you will. I loved this book. The characters and plot call to mind a well-written, chick-lit, beach read - but one written in the 1940's. Were chick-lit and beach read genres then? Anyway, the story starts somewhat slowly, but before long I was thoroughly engrossed. The book has been criticized as being frivolous and escapist. But, it has much to say on the limited options of women in the...more
May 16, 2011
Wayne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
if you like a well told, atmospheric yarn.
Recommended to Wayne by:
the first read by my older sister Dianne decades ago!!
Shelves:
english-classic-lit,
movie-seen-as-well
PRELUDE:
What an atmospheric first chapter Daphne du Maurier writes here.
And in her classic favourite "Rebecca" the same approach.
Wouldn't get away with it today and how many could carry it off
anyway??
It's what makes this superior Romantic Lit, if you have to categorise it.
But a first chapter largely descriptive of a place in the past and again in the present, with hints of characters and events to be unfolded, thick with nostalgia, mood, place...
a relishment.
I'm using this to escape the Deep an...more
What an atmospheric first chapter Daphne du Maurier writes here.
And in her classic favourite "Rebecca" the same approach.
Wouldn't get away with it today and how many could carry it off
anyway??
It's what makes this superior Romantic Lit, if you have to categorise it.
But a first chapter largely descriptive of a place in the past and again in the present, with hints of characters and events to be unfolded, thick with nostalgia, mood, place...
a relishment.
I'm using this to escape the Deep an...more
1 like · like · see review
For many years my sister has begged me to read this book, and for many years I put it off. Again, I believe the book chooses the time and place for its reader. My time was now. No sooner nor later, but simply perfect timing. The need for escape, the need for adventure no matter what the cost; Oh, and, of course, a Pirate - The Frenchman, Master of La Mouette. <3 He is the symbol of escape from the daily routine we find ourselves in, and wish desperately to be elsewhere, if not someone else en...more
3 likes · like · see review
Just, sigh. What an amazing book. I have decided that if I could write like anyone, it would be a combination of Jane Austen and Daphne Du Maurier. It has been a while since I have last read a Du Maurier book and I have always enjoyed her style and her plots. This book was no different. She was able to describe in a few key words place and scene and I was immediately transported to Cornwall and honestly felt like I was there, watching from the sidelines. Basic plot: an aristocratic woman, aged 2...more
Was pretty unimpressed by this.
My initial reaction upon reading the first few lines was that du Maurier had a terrible translator. Then I looked up the translator and discovered that du Maurier is in fact British. So that doesn't say much for the writing. The whole first chapter was description of the area, it was immensely dull.
Fortunately chapter two bounced back by being in much better english, by having characters, and by having the characters speak. The only downside to this was that Dona,...more
My initial reaction upon reading the first few lines was that du Maurier had a terrible translator. Then I looked up the translator and discovered that du Maurier is in fact British. So that doesn't say much for the writing. The whole first chapter was description of the area, it was immensely dull.
Fortunately chapter two bounced back by being in much better english, by having characters, and by having the characters speak. The only downside to this was that Dona,...more
From the writer of Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, and The Birds, this was a big disappointment. It felt like it was written by someone else, and that someone was in a hurry and left out significant details and research. I understand from other reviews that this pirate lover fantasy could be based on Du Maurier's own need for escapism from the drudgery of raising children and domestic life, but it was very contrived nonetheless and lacked authenticity for the historical time and the characters' motiv...more
I love this little tale of escapism! How often does a woman discover both herself and her true love, ibidem (Latin: in the same place)?
At Middle age, almost 30, Lady Dona St Columb is in crisis and "becomes a boy" off the Cornwall English shore and lives, loves, and pillages (ID, EGO, SUPEREGO) only to discover that life and it's sacrifices can be as or more adventuresome as the Frenchman's. This romantic sojourn is reflective of the author's struggle as she patiently waits for her husband dur...more
At Middle age, almost 30, Lady Dona St Columb is in crisis and "becomes a boy" off the Cornwall English shore and lives, loves, and pillages (ID, EGO, SUPEREGO) only to discover that life and it's sacrifices can be as or more adventuresome as the Frenchman's. This romantic sojourn is reflective of the author's struggle as she patiently waits for her husband dur...more
At first this seemed like just the exploits of a headstrong, lonely, bored aristocrat in a fairly standard romantic, escapist fantasy. The more I thought about this book though, the more it seemed like Du Maurier was writing about her own feelings of being a wife and mother and the sacrifice and limits that she felt came with those identities.
Daphne Du Maurier’s husband played a vital role in the 2nd World War and was away from home for much of the time. During his absence, Daphne, her children...more
Daphne Du Maurier’s husband played a vital role in the 2nd World War and was away from home for much of the time. During his absence, Daphne, her children...more
8 likes · like · see review
Frenchman's Creek is the elegantly told tale of Dona, Lady St. Columb, who has grown restless with her life at the court of Charles II and with her marriage to the lazy, slightly stupid Sir Harry. She leaves London with her children to visit the family estate of Navron in Cornwall, where she stumbles upon a crew of pirates and their dashing French master.
The romance between Dona and the Frenchman is beautifully understated and gradual, but deeply moving. Du Maurier doesn't focus on the romance t...more
The romance between Dona and the Frenchman is beautifully understated and gradual, but deeply moving. Du Maurier doesn't focus on the romance t...more
Apr 16, 2009
Corinne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
advance-reader-s-copy
Lady Dona St. Columb is so unhappy with society life in London, that she just leaves it. She packs up her kids, their nurse (of course) and removes to the countryside. There she hopes to find some peace and a period of solace from the frippery and falseness that is being the wife of the inebriated and daft Lord. St. Columb.
Life along the river is blissful and the bounty of nature itself seems to fill her with more of a sense of purpose, a love of what is real and unspoilt. And when news of a Fre...more
Life along the river is blissful and the bounty of nature itself seems to fill her with more of a sense of purpose, a love of what is real and unspoilt. And when news of a Fre...more
This was a Homework Book, and so I went into it with all the Scrooge-iness that entails. Who is this Daphne du Maurier? I said. Rebecca? Bah! Never heard of it. (P.S. This was a lie.)
But then around page fifty I started feeling kind of like
and I was ready to admit that maybe this du Maurier lady could stay. Because Frenchman's Creek is something that I didn't really think possible: a smart and intelligently nuanced pirate romance.
Dona St. Columb is the talk of Restoration-era London. When she'...more
But then around page fifty I started feeling kind of like
and I was ready to admit that maybe this du Maurier lady could stay. Because Frenchman's Creek is something that I didn't really think possible: a smart and intelligently nuanced pirate romance.
Dona St. Columb is the talk of Restoration-era London. When she'...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Easy read- Up for grabs... first person to email me gets it.
entertaining historical fiction and written so it reads more like literature.
The tale of a wanderlust and independent English woman who falls in love with a French Pirate. In the end she much decide between her duplicitous roles as adventure seeker of family woman.
Author: Daphne Du Maurier
Publisher: Virago
Copyright:2003
Genre: Fiction
Pages:253
Date Read- 9/22/08 to 9/24/08
entertaining historical fiction and written so it reads more like literature.
The tale of a wanderlust and independent English woman who falls in love with a French Pirate. In the end she much decide between her duplicitous roles as adventure seeker of family woman.
Author: Daphne Du Maurier
Publisher: Virago
Copyright:2003
Genre: Fiction
Pages:253
Date Read- 9/22/08 to 9/24/08
1 like · like · see review
If I could have given this more stars, I would have as I absolutely loved this book. So much so that I'm reading it a second time. LOL
Daphne du Maurier has always been one of my favorite authors as I love both the suspense of her novels and the beautiful elegance of her writing itself. She takes great care in describing, in minute detail, each scene, each character, each feeling with incredible fluidity and ease that it makes reading her work a true pleasure.
After a number of suspense novels, t...more
Daphne du Maurier has always been one of my favorite authors as I love both the suspense of her novels and the beautiful elegance of her writing itself. She takes great care in describing, in minute detail, each scene, each character, each feeling with incredible fluidity and ease that it makes reading her work a true pleasure.
After a number of suspense novels, t...more
Aug 13, 2009
Lisa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Teresa
Recommended to Lisa by:
Jade Brelsford
Shelves:
2009
Sigh....what a book! Bewitching and breathtakingly romantic, even if I did nearly put it in the freezer a couple of times due to the conniptions I was having towards the end in fear of tragedy!
Lady Dona St Columb feels trapped and suffocated by her life in London society and so leaves her drunken dolt of a husband behind to escape to the family seat in Cornwall, along with her children and their nurse. Once at Navron House Dona starts to truly live for the first time, helped in no small part by...more
Lady Dona St Columb feels trapped and suffocated by her life in London society and so leaves her drunken dolt of a husband behind to escape to the family seat in Cornwall, along with her children and their nurse. Once at Navron House Dona starts to truly live for the first time, helped in no small part by...more
2 likes · like · see review
After reading and falling in love with Rebecca when I was a teenager, I started but failed to finish My Cousin Rachel and Jamaica Inn. I gave up on them because they weren't like Rebecca. I then gave up on du Maurier, having decided that she had only written one good novel. That was a long time ago. I recently listened to an audiobook of Rebecca as a buddy read with my friend Jemidar. We both liked the book just as much as we had when we first read it. That experience prompted a buddy read of th...more
7 likes · like · see review
The Frenchman was a pirate, and a gentleman, and romantic, and this has been one of my most favourite reads for sometime. Daphne du Maurier has captured the historical setting perfectly and told a good old fashioned tale in the proper fashion of the 40s. She shows her understanding of how a woman can be bored with her life and yearn for change and find it in a manner she would never have dreamed. A fairytale with just enough truth to make it credible and wanting to make you live the life you can...more
This was so much better than Rebecca in my opinion. I am glad I tried some more du Maurier before giving her up as not my cup of tea.
I preferred this book as it had a strong woman character which I liked rather than the insipid second Mrs de Winter. The story was more engaging and I couldn't predict what the ending would be, whereas early on in Rebecca I guessed what was coming.
Also I thought the ending of Frenchman's Creek was good. Spoiler here... I thought that Dona made the right decision n...more
I preferred this book as it had a strong woman character which I liked rather than the insipid second Mrs de Winter. The story was more engaging and I couldn't predict what the ending would be, whereas early on in Rebecca I guessed what was coming.
Also I thought the ending of Frenchman's Creek was good. Spoiler here... I thought that Dona made the right decision n...more
1 like · like · see review
I've never been disappointed with any of Daphne du Maurier's works yet, and this was no exception. The absolute genius of her words, the flowing beauty of each sentence, and the insurmountable understanding she has of the human soul--all of these come together in a perfect blend to complete the master work that is "Frenchman's Creek". What a wondrous thing to read, this was! From the curve of a magnolia tree to the soft lapping of the water at the edge of a lake, every single piece of nature is...more
I've had very different reactions to the three Daphne du Maurier novels that I read before this one. I loved 'Rebecca', liked 'My Cousin Rachel' and loathed 'Jamaica Inn'. This book sits somewhere in between 'My Cousin Rachel' and 'Jamaica Inn' in terms of my enjoyment of it, although it definetly leans much closer to the latter. It's another historical novel from du Maurier - this time it's set during the Restoration Court rather than the 19th century setting of Jamaica Inn - and has a heroine...more
I read and loved Rebecca as a teenager, and am unsure why I never sought out any of the other novels by the author, but after reading this book I will be sure to do so. I am so glad that Sourcebooks is reprinting this, and hope that it can find its way to many other people who have missed it, as I have.
On the rare occasion I have the experience where book and mood meet perfectly. This happened with Frenchman's Creek, a book I am sure that I would have very much enjoyed no matter my mood, but w...more
On the rare occasion I have the experience where book and mood meet perfectly. This happened with Frenchman's Creek, a book I am sure that I would have very much enjoyed no matter my mood, but w...more
5 likes · like · see review
Ahh, the longing for a more compelling, grander life, while obligations, society and internal demons make it impossible to give up your current life - or do they? - admittedly strikes a chord with me.
"The sense of futility had been growing upon her for many months, nagging at her now and again like dormant toothache, but it had taken Friday night to arouse in her that full sense of self-loathing and exasperation."
Whether out of sheer curiosity or bitter disappointment, I think the heroine of Fr...more
"The sense of futility had been growing upon her for many months, nagging at her now and again like dormant toothache, but it had taken Friday night to arouse in her that full sense of self-loathing and exasperation."
Whether out of sheer curiosity or bitter disappointment, I think the heroine of Fr...more
3 likes · like · see review
Frenchman's Creek is my third novel by Daphne DuMaurier, after Rebecca and Jamaica Inn. I loved both of those novels because of the dark and Gothic feel, not to mention the fabulous writing, and while the writing is beautiful in this novel as well, it almost felt like a blend of romance and fantasy to me.
Lady Dona St Columb, is approaching her 30th birthday. An upper-class society lady in London, she's the mother of two young children, bored with high society life, and tired of her husband Harry...more
Lady Dona St Columb, is approaching her 30th birthday. An upper-class society lady in London, she's the mother of two young children, bored with high society life, and tired of her husband Harry...more
This is a book that is long on beautiful word imagery and flowing language, but a bit short on characterization and actual romance. It was a gorgeously portrayed tale of daring and adventure and of Dona finding herself. I thought that her Frenchman was marvelous and so honest about life and himself and in turn made her take herself more seriously and really become who she really wanted to be without the demands of society or her husband to thwart her.
I was a bit disappointed in how the author le...more
I was a bit disappointed in how the author le...more
This, although starting out a little slow for me, it took my breath away. Although Jamaica Inn remains my favourite, this is brilliant du Maurier! I don't realise until I'm part way into the novels that these are the romances I need, the best romance novels. I mean pirates and adventure, who'd have thought I was in need of a charming and exciting Frenchman.
Not only does the story revolve around love but a strong heroine, I love that about du Maurier, she can write brilliant characters with enou...more
Not only does the story revolve around love but a strong heroine, I love that about du Maurier, she can write brilliant characters with enou...more
Not at all what I was expecting. It was an enjoyable and intriguing tale of adventure. At least, it was once it got warmed up. Dona only goes on one escapade with the pirates, and then there is an action-packed ending. So the beginning was a tad boring. I didn't take much in of the introductory chapter as I was keen to get into the story as quickly as possible, but I have just gone back and re-read it. It was perhaps more what I would have expected from Daphne du Maurier; descriptive, atmospheri...more
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| The Ultimate Teen...: Frenchman's Creek - Daphne Du Maurier | 1 | 6 | May 01, 2013 04:09am |
If Daphne du Maurier had written only Rebecca, she would still be one of the great shapers of popular culture and the modern imagination. Few writers have created more magical and mysterious places than Jamaica Inn and Manderley, buildings invested with a rich character that gives them a memorable life of their own.
In many ways the life of Daphne du Maurier resembles that of a fairy tale. Born int...more
More about Daphne du Maurier...
In many ways the life of Daphne du Maurier resembles that of a fairy tale. Born int...more
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“She knew that this was happiness, this was living as she had always wished to live.”
—
18 people liked it
“And this then, that I am feeling now, is the hell that comes with love, the hell and the damnation and the agony beyond all enduring, because after the beauty and the loveliness comes the sorrow and the pain.”
—
13 people liked it
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