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The Doll: The Lost Short Stories
The lost stories of Daphne du Maurier, collected in one volume for the first time.
Before she wrote Rebecca, the novel that would cement her reputation as a twentieth-century literary giant, a young Daphne du Maurier penned short fiction in which she explored the images, themes, and concerns that informed her later work. Originally published in periodicals during the early 1930s, many of these stories never found their way into print again . . . until now.
Tales of human frailty and obsession, and of romance gone tragically awry, the thirteen stories in The Doll showcase an exciting budding talent before she went on to write one of the most beloved novels of all time. In these pages, a waterlogged notebook washes ashore revealing a dark story of jealousy and obsession, a vicar coaches a young couple divided by class issues, and an older man falls perilously in love with a much younger woman—with each tale demonstrating du Maurier’s extraordinary storytelling gifts and her deep understanding of human nature.
Before she wrote Rebecca, the novel that would cement her reputation as a twentieth-century literary giant, a young Daphne du Maurier penned short fiction in which she explored the images, themes, and concerns that informed her later work. Originally published in periodicals during the early 1930s, many of these stories never found their way into print again . . . until now.
Tales of human frailty and obsession, and of romance gone tragically awry, the thirteen stories in The Doll showcase an exciting budding talent before she went on to write one of the most beloved novels of all time. In these pages, a waterlogged notebook washes ashore revealing a dark story of jealousy and obsession, a vicar coaches a young couple divided by class issues, and an older man falls perilously in love with a much younger woman—with each tale demonstrating du Maurier’s extraordinary storytelling gifts and her deep understanding of human nature.
209 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
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5,951 people want to read
About the author
Daphne du Maurier
360 books9,498 followersDaphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel, née Beaumont. In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby, and her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. She and her sisters were indulged as a children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story. The nameless heroine has
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story. The nameless heroine has
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May 6, 2015
The Doll is a very creepy story, way ahead of its time. It is a very dark tale about a woman's total obsession with a mechanical male sex doll. She drives her lover mad with jealousy with the intensity of her passion for the doll and consequent indifference to him. The story is short, very sexy, gothically dark, and still cutting-edge although it was written in 1928. The other stories - blah.
Hitchcock loved du Maurier - three of her works were the basis of films he made - Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and most famous, the horror film, The Birds. In a more modern era, he would have had fun with The Doll. Audrey Hepburn would have been perfect for the part, but we would all be looking at her in a different way from the wholesome, delicate beauty she is usually remembered as.
I'm surprised no screenwriter or director has seen this recently rediscovered story (it was 'lost' for 70 years) and seen what an opportunity for a film, or more likely, a half-hour tv drama, it could be. I wonder which actress could play that dark and twisted role?
Hitchcock loved du Maurier - three of her works were the basis of films he made - Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and most famous, the horror film, The Birds. In a more modern era, he would have had fun with The Doll. Audrey Hepburn would have been perfect for the part, but we would all be looking at her in a different way from the wholesome, delicate beauty she is usually remembered as.
I'm surprised no screenwriter or director has seen this recently rediscovered story (it was 'lost' for 70 years) and seen what an opportunity for a film, or more likely, a half-hour tv drama, it could be. I wonder which actress could play that dark and twisted role?
October 5, 2015
This collection of some of Daphne du Maurier's earliest writing was very absorbing. I am quite glad I have had the opportunity to discover stories she conceived in the beginning stages of her very accomplished career. In these thirteen short stories du Maurier demonstrates her skill at depicting the very subtle nuances of human behavior and thinking. The overall tone is quite somber. She explores jealousy, egocentricity, obsession, manipulation, degeneracy, fear and foreboding, and disappointment. Miscommunication or lack of communication between men and women leads to misunderstanding, frustration, and the breakdown of relationships.
The first story, "The East Wind", drew me in immediately with its eerie atmosphere and sense of danger: "… all the while the East Wind blew, tossing the grass, scattering the hot white sand, forcing its triumphant path through the white mist and the green waves like a demon let loose upon the island." The title story of the collection, "The Doll", was by far the creepiest and most disturbing of the bunch! A woman's obsession with a life-size doll prevents her from loving a real human being and drives her admirer to the brink of madness. One of my favorite stories, "Nothing Hurts for Long", introduces the reader to a woman eagerly anticipating the return of her husband after a short separation due to business obligations. She has such an aura of elation that everything around her is reflected in a similar fashion – from the canary singing gaily in its cage to the brilliant shining of the sun on the carpet. A conversation with a dejected friend followed by the delay of her husband's arrival causes our protagonist's mood to deteriorate. Likewise, everything else takes on a joyless quality. "She wandered over to the piano once more and began to strum… but her fingers were heavy and her voice a poor thin whisper of a thing that went flat and could not strike the right note. The canary in the cage pricked up his ears. He started his song, and soon it filled the room, deafening her, shrill and absurd, so loud that she flung the cover on to his cage in irritation." Couples falling in and out of love rapidly can be found in "Week-end" as well as "And His Letters Grew Colder." The decline towards and the depravity of prostitution are presented in "Piccadilly" and "Mazie". "The Happy Valley" is a bit different from this set in that it has more of a dream-like quality to it. A woman has an overwhelming sense of déjà vu and seems lost in the world around her, as if she belongs to another time and place. She becomes fearful and confused as a recurring dream appears to come true. Selfishness and manipulation are at the forefront of both "And Now to God the Father" and "The Limpet". A probably deranged woman blames her troubles on the belief that she puts others before herself in "The Limpet". Slowly destroying those around her by veiled manipulation, she does not seem to recognize that she has played a direct role in the decline of others and ultimately her own self. "Why is it that no matter how kind I am to people, how truly generous, it never seems to pay dividends? From start to finish I've put myself last and the happiness of others first. And yet, when I sit alone now, in the evenings, I seem to see faces around me… and their expressions aren't kind at all but somehow hunted. It's as if they want to be rid of me."
As with most short story collections, some stories are better than others, but overall I enjoyed almost all of these. Daphne du Maurier's writing is always compelling. I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of this brilliant author and would like to experience some of her earlier writing or if you appreciate short stories in general, particularly those that provide a very keen insight into human behavior.
The first story, "The East Wind", drew me in immediately with its eerie atmosphere and sense of danger: "… all the while the East Wind blew, tossing the grass, scattering the hot white sand, forcing its triumphant path through the white mist and the green waves like a demon let loose upon the island." The title story of the collection, "The Doll", was by far the creepiest and most disturbing of the bunch! A woman's obsession with a life-size doll prevents her from loving a real human being and drives her admirer to the brink of madness. One of my favorite stories, "Nothing Hurts for Long", introduces the reader to a woman eagerly anticipating the return of her husband after a short separation due to business obligations. She has such an aura of elation that everything around her is reflected in a similar fashion – from the canary singing gaily in its cage to the brilliant shining of the sun on the carpet. A conversation with a dejected friend followed by the delay of her husband's arrival causes our protagonist's mood to deteriorate. Likewise, everything else takes on a joyless quality. "She wandered over to the piano once more and began to strum… but her fingers were heavy and her voice a poor thin whisper of a thing that went flat and could not strike the right note. The canary in the cage pricked up his ears. He started his song, and soon it filled the room, deafening her, shrill and absurd, so loud that she flung the cover on to his cage in irritation." Couples falling in and out of love rapidly can be found in "Week-end" as well as "And His Letters Grew Colder." The decline towards and the depravity of prostitution are presented in "Piccadilly" and "Mazie". "The Happy Valley" is a bit different from this set in that it has more of a dream-like quality to it. A woman has an overwhelming sense of déjà vu and seems lost in the world around her, as if she belongs to another time and place. She becomes fearful and confused as a recurring dream appears to come true. Selfishness and manipulation are at the forefront of both "And Now to God the Father" and "The Limpet". A probably deranged woman blames her troubles on the belief that she puts others before herself in "The Limpet". Slowly destroying those around her by veiled manipulation, she does not seem to recognize that she has played a direct role in the decline of others and ultimately her own self. "Why is it that no matter how kind I am to people, how truly generous, it never seems to pay dividends? From start to finish I've put myself last and the happiness of others first. And yet, when I sit alone now, in the evenings, I seem to see faces around me… and their expressions aren't kind at all but somehow hunted. It's as if they want to be rid of me."
As with most short story collections, some stories are better than others, but overall I enjoyed almost all of these. Daphne du Maurier's writing is always compelling. I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of this brilliant author and would like to experience some of her earlier writing or if you appreciate short stories in general, particularly those that provide a very keen insight into human behavior.
November 4, 2019
*Mild spoilers*
These are the so-called "lost" stories of Daphne du Maurier - meaning uncollected and unpublished. Most of them, except the last tale, was written in the time period of 1926 - 1932: that is, while the author was in her late teens up to her mid twenties. Reading them, one would never feel that it was written by a writer just starting out in her career: the sheen and finish of the stories are such. But then, that's Daphne for you - whatever one might say about the literary quality of her writings (and there is some difference of opinion on it), as the purveyor the well-written tale, there are few to match her.
I would call du Maurier's tales "dark romance" (romance in its old sense, not the new, narrow one). While the adventure, suspense, chivalry, and love are all present, they have the tendency to slip into territory frequented more by horror writers. Daphne very rarely crosses over fully in novels, but some of her short stories are really terrifying.
Another trope which she loves to deal with is doomed love: and her lovers are not all that "lovable". People cheat and hurt each other constantly, and some characters are absolute monsters. There are very few love affairs in her novels which end with the partners living "happily ever after".
In this collection, you will find plenty of such incompatible relationships. A Difference in Temperament shows a couple, besotted with each other yet feeling trapped and suffocated. Week-End shows the beginning, growth and end of a relationship in just a weekend. In Frustration, we find the adage "marry in haste, repent at leisure" illustrated in comic fashion. And His Letters Grew Colder is a tale of seduction and abandonment, told using the epistolary method - but what makes this tale special is that only letters from one side are shown. And in Nothing Hurts for Long, the entry of doubt into a loving relationship is chillingly portrayed.
Daphne du Maurier is an expert in the creation of utterly despicable characters. Two such specimens adorn the pages of this book too - the Reverend James Holloway in And Now to God the Father and Dilly in Limpet. Both of them are ruthless manipulators - sociopaths, in fact - and one can only marvel at the author's skill in sketching them in such detail. One understands that evil need not be always supernatural in stories.
The tales Piccadilly and Mazie show us the dirt beneath the glitter of our cities, through the eyes of prostitutes. The former is lighthearted in its black humour, while the latter is gut-wrenching in its sense of quite pathos.
Tame Cat is about the desire of an aged lecher for a young girl. It would have been an ordinary story but for the innocence in the voice of the teenaged narrator, who does not see the web of lust about to envelop her, while it is clear to everyone else.
East Wind is the odd one out in this collection. It is the oldest story, written when the author was just 19. It is a fable in the vein of Lord Dunsany, and not du Maurier-esque at all: but still, it is well-written and enjoyable.
The Doll, the title story, is the only one which can be be called an out-and-out horror story. It is highly disturbing - but not all that well-written, in my opinion. We see here an author sharpening her quill for more effective future exploits.
And now, we come to my favourite tale in this collection (which is why I left it to the last) - The Happy Valley. This the Daphne du Maurier we know and love. Starting out as the happy dream of a girl, with nary a sign of menace, the narrative slowly slips into a story throbbing with dread. It is a romance (of course!) but with doom lurking beneath its happy exterior. Long after we leave the story, a sense of apprehension will linger.
A must read for all Daphne fans!
These are the so-called "lost" stories of Daphne du Maurier - meaning uncollected and unpublished. Most of them, except the last tale, was written in the time period of 1926 - 1932: that is, while the author was in her late teens up to her mid twenties. Reading them, one would never feel that it was written by a writer just starting out in her career: the sheen and finish of the stories are such. But then, that's Daphne for you - whatever one might say about the literary quality of her writings (and there is some difference of opinion on it), as the purveyor the well-written tale, there are few to match her.
I would call du Maurier's tales "dark romance" (romance in its old sense, not the new, narrow one). While the adventure, suspense, chivalry, and love are all present, they have the tendency to slip into territory frequented more by horror writers. Daphne very rarely crosses over fully in novels, but some of her short stories are really terrifying.
Another trope which she loves to deal with is doomed love: and her lovers are not all that "lovable". People cheat and hurt each other constantly, and some characters are absolute monsters. There are very few love affairs in her novels which end with the partners living "happily ever after".
In this collection, you will find plenty of such incompatible relationships. A Difference in Temperament shows a couple, besotted with each other yet feeling trapped and suffocated. Week-End shows the beginning, growth and end of a relationship in just a weekend. In Frustration, we find the adage "marry in haste, repent at leisure" illustrated in comic fashion. And His Letters Grew Colder is a tale of seduction and abandonment, told using the epistolary method - but what makes this tale special is that only letters from one side are shown. And in Nothing Hurts for Long, the entry of doubt into a loving relationship is chillingly portrayed.
Daphne du Maurier is an expert in the creation of utterly despicable characters. Two such specimens adorn the pages of this book too - the Reverend James Holloway in And Now to God the Father and Dilly in Limpet. Both of them are ruthless manipulators - sociopaths, in fact - and one can only marvel at the author's skill in sketching them in such detail. One understands that evil need not be always supernatural in stories.
The tales Piccadilly and Mazie show us the dirt beneath the glitter of our cities, through the eyes of prostitutes. The former is lighthearted in its black humour, while the latter is gut-wrenching in its sense of quite pathos.
Tame Cat is about the desire of an aged lecher for a young girl. It would have been an ordinary story but for the innocence in the voice of the teenaged narrator, who does not see the web of lust about to envelop her, while it is clear to everyone else.
East Wind is the odd one out in this collection. It is the oldest story, written when the author was just 19. It is a fable in the vein of Lord Dunsany, and not du Maurier-esque at all: but still, it is well-written and enjoyable.
The Doll, the title story, is the only one which can be be called an out-and-out horror story. It is highly disturbing - but not all that well-written, in my opinion. We see here an author sharpening her quill for more effective future exploits.
And now, we come to my favourite tale in this collection (which is why I left it to the last) - The Happy Valley. This the Daphne du Maurier we know and love. Starting out as the happy dream of a girl, with nary a sign of menace, the narrative slowly slips into a story throbbing with dread. It is a romance (of course!) but with doom lurking beneath its happy exterior. Long after we leave the story, a sense of apprehension will linger.
A must read for all Daphne fans!
July 31, 2022
I do love Daphne Du Maurier's writing style. It is one of exquisite beauty, and there really is none other like it. The Doll: Short Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories that were essentially lost for a time, and are part of Du Maurier's earlier works.
As with most short story collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but with all of these stories, I noticed there are solid dark and somewhat themes present, such as sexual obsession, murder and jealousy, with a hint of craziness.
I particularly enjoyed 'The Doll' and 'A difference in temperament' which were both very surprising with interesting endings, although, I actually wished the stories were a little longer.
I have no doubt that Du Maurier had an amazing understanding of human nature, as it is continuously reflected in her works, and considering she was a young woman when she wrote this collection, it evidently shows just what a talented thinker and wordsmith she really was.
As with most short story collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but with all of these stories, I noticed there are solid dark and somewhat themes present, such as sexual obsession, murder and jealousy, with a hint of craziness.
I particularly enjoyed 'The Doll' and 'A difference in temperament' which were both very surprising with interesting endings, although, I actually wished the stories were a little longer.
I have no doubt that Du Maurier had an amazing understanding of human nature, as it is continuously reflected in her works, and considering she was a young woman when she wrote this collection, it evidently shows just what a talented thinker and wordsmith she really was.
April 24, 2024
Не се оказаха нещо разказите в този сборник по мой вкус. Вероятно и очаквах повече, но уви.
Стилът на дю Морие ми е все така приятен, но сюжетите не успяха да ме заинтригуват достатъчно.
Бих отличил с оценка над средната само една от историите - "Мейзи".
Не дочетох последните 4-5 разказа, зачезна ми желанието нещо...
Стилът на дю Морие ми е все така приятен, но сюжетите не успяха да ме заинтригуват достатъчно.
Бих отличил с оценка над средната само една от историите - "Мейзи".
Не дочетох последните 4-5 разказа, зачезна ми желанието нещо...
December 22, 2020
loved you too much, wanted you too much, had for you too great a tenderness. Now all of this is like a twisted root in my heart, a deadly poison in my brain. You have made of me a madman. You fill me with a kind of horror, a devastating hate that is akin to love – a hunger that is nausea. If only I could be calm and clear for one moment – one moment only…
*
I found it impossible to say any of the things I wanted to say.
*
Help isn’t any use […] you have to go through it alone.
*
I found it impossible to say any of the things I wanted to say.
*
Help isn’t any use […] you have to go through it alone.
August 7, 2014
The Doll is a compliation of 'lost' short stories by Daphne du Maurier, most written early in her career and either published or discovered much later. It's safe to say this is a mixed bag, and not a book I would recommend to readers who aren't already familiar with du Maurier's stories. While I enjoyed the majority of the tales in this collection, they are very different to those I have found in other collections by the author: many of them are about relationships, and the tone of most is more sombre than macabre. I think they're best described as curiosities, and The Doll might only be of real interest if you are a du Maurier completist. That said, I wouldn't categorise myself as such, and I still found it really interesting to see glimpses of themes that would later come to dominate her work.
In keeping with the tradition I've adopted when reviewing these short story collections, I have reviewed and/or outlined each story individually below - although there isn't much to say about some of them, as many are very brief.
East Wind
The peaceful and childlike way of life on a tiny, isolated island is disturbed when a group of foreign sailors arrives. A very short story with the feel of a fable, which has the newcomers' presence resulting in some devastating, but rather predictable, outcomes.
The Doll
The centrepiece of the book is this story, a famously ahead-of-its-time gothic tale about a man who falls head over heels in love with a girl (who, pleasingly, is named Rebecca) who has a dark secret. What it has in common with many of the author's later stories is that, if you come to it with no prior knowledge of what will happen, it genuinely does have the power to shock. However, while this is the most macabre and intriguing story in the book, it is also (in my opinion anyway) by far the most poorly written. The narrator's frequent fits of 'oh! Rebecca! But now I must write about that day when...' reminded me of how I used to write when I was at school and didn't know how to move a story on from one scene to another. Apparently du Maurier was twenty when she wrote this, and although the theme is brilliantly daring, that immaturity as a writer really shows in the style and pacing. I wish I could have read a re-written, refined version of this.
And Now To God the Father
This is really a character study, focusing on a vicar, an outwardly charming character who is in fact vain, manipulative and immoral. It's also something of a satire, of religion in general and of the upper-class women who hang off this man's every word. The main problem with this was that, having read many of du Maurier's stories, I was expecting some dark twist right at the end, I was expecting the vicar to get his comeuppance, but it just stopped. I have read that this was her first published story, which makes me wonder if there was originally a different ending and it was changed? Or perhaps her style hadn't yet developed that far, and the vicar's underlying unpleasantness was, in itself, the twist.
A Difference in Temperament
Another very short story about a couple who don't tell each other what they're really thinking (and are extremely overdramatic), which also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of miscommunication. I read a negative review of this book which mentioned that this particular story sounds like the result of a creative writing exercise, and I haven't been able to get that out of my head.
Frustration
Another very short story... Actually, I'm going to stop saying that now as most of the stories in this collection are very short. This one's about a couple who, after a seven-year engagement, get married and seem to suffer every bit of bad luck imaginable, with the husband beset by frustration that he hasn't yet been able to consummate the relationship. This could be categorised in much the same way as the previous story, but it's much more amusing: I had a good laugh at 'the useless knob lay at his feet' (that's a doorknob, by the way).
Piccadilly
A journalist meets a prostitute at Piccadilly station, and she tells him her life story - one of love, crime and disappointment. This is more like a monologue, which I can imagine working well on the stage, Talking Heads-style.
Tame Cat
A young girl comes of age and, returning to London from France, looks forward to being reunited with her mother and 'Uncle' John. However, she is dismayed to find both of them acting oddly. A rather dark portrayal of family relationships in which nobody comes off well - the girl naive and stupid, the mother jealous of her own child, and John a sleazy predator.
Mazie
A depressing portrayal of a day in the life of a prostitute - the same woman featured in 'Piccadilly'. A poignant vignette, but it doesn't really add anything to the history outlined in that story.
Nothing Hurts For Long
A woman excitedly awaits the return of her husband from Berlin: she devotes the whole day to preparing for his arrival, but is dismayed to be called away to the aid of a friend, whose own marriage has just disintegrated. This feels like a formative version of the later du Maurier stories in which the protagonist is slowly revealed as a much less likeable character than he or she initially appears to be, and is dealt some sort of retribution at the end.
Week-End
Another brief portrait of a couple - this time the pair appear to be madly in love as they head off for a weekend together, but by the end of the story they feel quite differently about each other. As with 'Frustration', there is an emphasis on miscommunication, as both of them are constantly saying things they don't actually mean and telling white lies.
The Happy Valley
Again foreshadowing Rebecca, this is an atmospheric story in which a young woman is haunted by vivid recurring dreams about a house in what she comes to think of as 'the Happy Valley'; she also frequently experiences incidences of deja vu in her everyday life - including the moment she meets her future husband. This was by far my favourite tale of the lot, with its evocative description and atmosphere of impending doom.
And His Letters Grew Colder
Not much to report with this one, as the title says it all! An epistolary story charting the progress of an affair through the letters of the man involved (we only get to read his side of the correspondence). Vaguely amusing in a sad kind of way.
The Limpet
One of the longest stories in the book, this is another character study: this time the subject is a woman, Dilys, who starts off saying that she has spent her life putting others before herself, a claim which is soon shown to be quite the opposite of the truth. The story, all told from her point of view, goes on to show she has manipulated a string of figures in her own life: her parents and aunt, work acquaintances, her husband, a lover. Yet despite her manipulation, tricks and flattery, she never quite succeeds in attaining what she so desperately desires. She closes her account by asking 'what is it that I do?', but by this point the reader already knows the answer. This is more fully-formed than any of the other stories, but had I not known it was by du Maurier, I wouldn't have guessed: again it has a strong element of social satire and comedy, balanced with a note of pathos.
In keeping with the tradition I've adopted when reviewing these short story collections, I have reviewed and/or outlined each story individually below - although there isn't much to say about some of them, as many are very brief.
East Wind
The peaceful and childlike way of life on a tiny, isolated island is disturbed when a group of foreign sailors arrives. A very short story with the feel of a fable, which has the newcomers' presence resulting in some devastating, but rather predictable, outcomes.
The Doll
The centrepiece of the book is this story, a famously ahead-of-its-time gothic tale about a man who falls head over heels in love with a girl (who, pleasingly, is named Rebecca) who has a dark secret. What it has in common with many of the author's later stories is that, if you come to it with no prior knowledge of what will happen, it genuinely does have the power to shock. However, while this is the most macabre and intriguing story in the book, it is also (in my opinion anyway) by far the most poorly written. The narrator's frequent fits of 'oh! Rebecca! But now I must write about that day when...' reminded me of how I used to write when I was at school and didn't know how to move a story on from one scene to another. Apparently du Maurier was twenty when she wrote this, and although the theme is brilliantly daring, that immaturity as a writer really shows in the style and pacing. I wish I could have read a re-written, refined version of this.
And Now To God the Father
This is really a character study, focusing on a vicar, an outwardly charming character who is in fact vain, manipulative and immoral. It's also something of a satire, of religion in general and of the upper-class women who hang off this man's every word. The main problem with this was that, having read many of du Maurier's stories, I was expecting some dark twist right at the end, I was expecting the vicar to get his comeuppance, but it just stopped. I have read that this was her first published story, which makes me wonder if there was originally a different ending and it was changed? Or perhaps her style hadn't yet developed that far, and the vicar's underlying unpleasantness was, in itself, the twist.
A Difference in Temperament
Another very short story about a couple who don't tell each other what they're really thinking (and are extremely overdramatic), which also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of miscommunication. I read a negative review of this book which mentioned that this particular story sounds like the result of a creative writing exercise, and I haven't been able to get that out of my head.
Frustration
Another very short story... Actually, I'm going to stop saying that now as most of the stories in this collection are very short. This one's about a couple who, after a seven-year engagement, get married and seem to suffer every bit of bad luck imaginable, with the husband beset by frustration that he hasn't yet been able to consummate the relationship. This could be categorised in much the same way as the previous story, but it's much more amusing: I had a good laugh at 'the useless knob lay at his feet' (that's a doorknob, by the way).
Piccadilly
A journalist meets a prostitute at Piccadilly station, and she tells him her life story - one of love, crime and disappointment. This is more like a monologue, which I can imagine working well on the stage, Talking Heads-style.
Tame Cat
A young girl comes of age and, returning to London from France, looks forward to being reunited with her mother and 'Uncle' John. However, she is dismayed to find both of them acting oddly. A rather dark portrayal of family relationships in which nobody comes off well - the girl naive and stupid, the mother jealous of her own child, and John a sleazy predator.
Mazie
A depressing portrayal of a day in the life of a prostitute - the same woman featured in 'Piccadilly'. A poignant vignette, but it doesn't really add anything to the history outlined in that story.
Nothing Hurts For Long
A woman excitedly awaits the return of her husband from Berlin: she devotes the whole day to preparing for his arrival, but is dismayed to be called away to the aid of a friend, whose own marriage has just disintegrated. This feels like a formative version of the later du Maurier stories in which the protagonist is slowly revealed as a much less likeable character than he or she initially appears to be, and is dealt some sort of retribution at the end.
Week-End
Another brief portrait of a couple - this time the pair appear to be madly in love as they head off for a weekend together, but by the end of the story they feel quite differently about each other. As with 'Frustration', there is an emphasis on miscommunication, as both of them are constantly saying things they don't actually mean and telling white lies.
The Happy Valley
Again foreshadowing Rebecca, this is an atmospheric story in which a young woman is haunted by vivid recurring dreams about a house in what she comes to think of as 'the Happy Valley'; she also frequently experiences incidences of deja vu in her everyday life - including the moment she meets her future husband. This was by far my favourite tale of the lot, with its evocative description and atmosphere of impending doom.
And His Letters Grew Colder
Not much to report with this one, as the title says it all! An epistolary story charting the progress of an affair through the letters of the man involved (we only get to read his side of the correspondence). Vaguely amusing in a sad kind of way.
The Limpet
One of the longest stories in the book, this is another character study: this time the subject is a woman, Dilys, who starts off saying that she has spent her life putting others before herself, a claim which is soon shown to be quite the opposite of the truth. The story, all told from her point of view, goes on to show she has manipulated a string of figures in her own life: her parents and aunt, work acquaintances, her husband, a lover. Yet despite her manipulation, tricks and flattery, she never quite succeeds in attaining what she so desperately desires. She closes her account by asking 'what is it that I do?', but by this point the reader already knows the answer. This is more fully-formed than any of the other stories, but had I not known it was by du Maurier, I wouldn't have guessed: again it has a strong element of social satire and comedy, balanced with a note of pathos.
May 10, 2019
I didn't love this as much as I had hoped. I was excepting more creepy, but a lot of the stories were domestic-based and that bores me...
September 21, 2020
These are stories that were written by du Maurier in the late 1920s and 1930s, very early in her writing career. There was one exception, “The Limpet” published in 1959. They all appeared to be published in journals and magazines shortly after the time of writing them except several were not published until years later. This collection is called “the lost stories” apparently because they all were out-of-print until 2011, when the stories were published as a collection by Virago in the UK and by Harper Collins in the United States. When I add up all the stars and divide by the number of stories, I get 3.3 and that accounts for my overall rating of the collection. A solid 3 stars.
The assortment of short stories started out with duds IMHO, but then one right after another were stories that were extremely enjoyable to read. Oftentimes I could see where stories were going but that did not matter to me. Whatever premise she was presenting in the story was clever or interesting enough to me to make me like it a lot. The stories in the last third of the book then took a turn southward, but the last story was pretty good.
• East Wind — 1.5 stars (best unwritten)
• The Doll — 3 stars (sorta OK but ending was stupid)
• And Now to God the Father — 2 stars (I did not get the ending at all!)
• A Difference in Temperament — 5 stars Really good writing — we see his point of view and her point of view.
• Frustration — 5 stars (This story reminds me of The Gift of the Magi…very clever.)
• Piccadilly — 5 stars (good enough for me…a prostitute tells a newspaper reporter how she came to be a prostitute)
• Tame Cat — 5 stars (very enjoyable read)
• Mazie — 1.5 stars (Jews are mentioned in a very derogatory way ☹)
• Nothing Hurts for Long — 2.5 stars (mediocre)
• Week-End — 3 stars (a “nigger band” is casually mentioned ☹)
• The Happy Valley — 3.5 stars (sort of a ghost story, if it had been better written it would have been a 4 or a 5)
• And His Letters Grew Colder — 1.5 stars (the word “coolie” is used ☹)
• The Limpet — 4 stars (predictable after a while but enjoyable reading) A limpet is a marine mollusk with a shallow conical shell and a broad muscular foot, found clinging tightly to rocks. A female from the time she is a girl to when she is an older adult has a negative impact on those she encounters — she is so self-centered she does not even recognize or does not care about the damage that she causes.
Notes
• What was disturbing to me were derogatory terms used. These stories were written in the 1930s. shows how far we have come along where at the least these terms or words are now politically incorrect. I would say “offensive’.
• I wasn’t aware who Daphne du Maurier was married to Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Arthur Montague "Boy" Browning, GCVO, KBE, CB, DSO. He took part in Operation Market Garden, one of the greatest Allied disasters of the Second World War – immortalized in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far. The consequence of the failed operation was many British troop deaths and many Dutch civilians executed by the German army. Apparently there was a good deal of blame to go around, but some of it was apportioned to him (https://www.historyextra.com/period/s... ).
Reviews
From blog sites:
• https://shereadsnovels.com/2019/05/14...
• From another blog site: https://theoctobercountry.wordpress.c...
• http://enchantedspark.com/wordpress1/...
The assortment of short stories started out with duds IMHO, but then one right after another were stories that were extremely enjoyable to read. Oftentimes I could see where stories were going but that did not matter to me. Whatever premise she was presenting in the story was clever or interesting enough to me to make me like it a lot. The stories in the last third of the book then took a turn southward, but the last story was pretty good.
• East Wind — 1.5 stars (best unwritten)
• The Doll — 3 stars (sorta OK but ending was stupid)
• And Now to God the Father — 2 stars (I did not get the ending at all!)
• A Difference in Temperament — 5 stars Really good writing — we see his point of view and her point of view.
• Frustration — 5 stars (This story reminds me of The Gift of the Magi…very clever.)
• Piccadilly — 5 stars (good enough for me…a prostitute tells a newspaper reporter how she came to be a prostitute)
• Tame Cat — 5 stars (very enjoyable read)
• Mazie — 1.5 stars (Jews are mentioned in a very derogatory way ☹)
• Nothing Hurts for Long — 2.5 stars (mediocre)
• Week-End — 3 stars (a “nigger band” is casually mentioned ☹)
• The Happy Valley — 3.5 stars (sort of a ghost story, if it had been better written it would have been a 4 or a 5)
• And His Letters Grew Colder — 1.5 stars (the word “coolie” is used ☹)
• The Limpet — 4 stars (predictable after a while but enjoyable reading) A limpet is a marine mollusk with a shallow conical shell and a broad muscular foot, found clinging tightly to rocks. A female from the time she is a girl to when she is an older adult has a negative impact on those she encounters — she is so self-centered she does not even recognize or does not care about the damage that she causes.
Notes
• What was disturbing to me were derogatory terms used. These stories were written in the 1930s. shows how far we have come along where at the least these terms or words are now politically incorrect. I would say “offensive’.
• I wasn’t aware who Daphne du Maurier was married to Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Arthur Montague "Boy" Browning, GCVO, KBE, CB, DSO. He took part in Operation Market Garden, one of the greatest Allied disasters of the Second World War – immortalized in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far. The consequence of the failed operation was many British troop deaths and many Dutch civilians executed by the German army. Apparently there was a good deal of blame to go around, but some of it was apportioned to him (https://www.historyextra.com/period/s... ).
Reviews
From blog sites:
• https://shereadsnovels.com/2019/05/14...
• From another blog site: https://theoctobercountry.wordpress.c...
• http://enchantedspark.com/wordpress1/...
April 5, 2023
2.5 stars
I can’t believe this short story collection is by the same woman who wrote Rebecca, one of my top ten favorite novels of all-time. This collection has 13 short stories, some I liked, some were okay, but there were none that I loved. The storytelling just wasn't there for me. I'm not deterred. I still have another short story collection and a few novels of hers that I plan to read.
1. East Wind ★★☆☆☆
2. The Doll ★★☆☆☆
3. And Now to God the Father ★★★☆☆
4. A Difference in Temperament ★★★☆☆
5. Frustration ★★☆☆☆
6. Piccadilly ★★☆☆☆
7. Tame Cat ★★☆☆☆
8. Mazie ★★★☆☆
9. Nothing Hurts for Long ★★★☆☆
10. Week-End ★★☆☆☆
11. The Happy Valley ★★★☆☆
12. And His Letters Grew Colder ★★☆☆☆
13. The Limpet ★★★☆☆
I can’t believe this short story collection is by the same woman who wrote Rebecca, one of my top ten favorite novels of all-time. This collection has 13 short stories, some I liked, some were okay, but there were none that I loved. The storytelling just wasn't there for me. I'm not deterred. I still have another short story collection and a few novels of hers that I plan to read.
1. East Wind ★★☆☆☆
2. The Doll ★★☆☆☆
3. And Now to God the Father ★★★☆☆
4. A Difference in Temperament ★★★☆☆
5. Frustration ★★☆☆☆
6. Piccadilly ★★☆☆☆
7. Tame Cat ★★☆☆☆
8. Mazie ★★★☆☆
9. Nothing Hurts for Long ★★★☆☆
10. Week-End ★★☆☆☆
11. The Happy Valley ★★★☆☆
12. And His Letters Grew Colder ★★☆☆☆
13. The Limpet ★★★☆☆
Want to read
November 11, 2011HERE'S ANOTHER GR GIVEAWAY I WON'T WIN - YIPEE!!!!
Here's why:
I have too many GR friends and books. I mean, who needs a review or friends to read it? Much better to let a book like this languish in the never-never land of 0-books-0-friends world. Much better that a giveaway junkie who really just wants a freebie will win this instead of a 3 year member who takes the time to read and review books.
It's not as though I'm a du Maurier fan or anything. Nah, not me. Nope. Nuh-uh.
I think I've been blacklisted from GR Giveaways for daring to request the.... HALF STAR ...shhhhhh, that's kinda like the name "Voldemort" - bad things happen to those of us who mention the "rating-update-that-must-not-be-named".
I like rejection. It makes me know I'm alive. Kinda like bungee jumping but safer.
Getting mad at those freeloader GR Giveaway winners who don't deserve it is good, clean FUN!
Ah, rant over. Nothing more to see here, move along.
Here's why:
I have too many GR friends and books. I mean, who needs a review or friends to read it? Much better to let a book like this languish in the never-never land of 0-books-0-friends world. Much better that a giveaway junkie who really just wants a freebie will win this instead of a 3 year member who takes the time to read and review books.
It's not as though I'm a du Maurier fan or anything. Nah, not me. Nope. Nuh-uh.
I think I've been blacklisted from GR Giveaways for daring to request the.... HALF STAR ...shhhhhh, that's kinda like the name "Voldemort" - bad things happen to those of us who mention the "rating-update-that-must-not-be-named".
I like rejection. It makes me know I'm alive. Kinda like bungee jumping but safer.
Getting mad at those freeloader GR Giveaway winners who don't deserve it is good, clean FUN!
Ah, rant over. Nothing more to see here, move along.
July 11, 2022
3 Stars for The Doll: The lost Short Stories (audiobook) by Daphne du Maurier read by Wanda McCaddon.
This was a interesting set of early stories by the author. Some of the stories are complete and some are not finished.
This was a interesting set of early stories by the author. Some of the stories are complete and some are not finished.
July 14, 2020
Daphne Du Maurier brings both her skill for writing atmospheric and brooding stories, and her undoubted understanding of human nature, to this excellent anthology.
Some of these stories were better than others, but the writing was consistently good, with some of the pieces containing powerful messages about the society she found herself living in.
There were some memorable characters, such a clergyman, who is such an odious hypocrite....not really a man of god at all, but a man full of vanity and his own self importance, who abuses his position by using it to further his own questionable interests, and can treat a human being as disposable if it suits his purpose.
I felt that du Maurier was perhaps inspired to write this by something she had witnessed....there was something a little Dickensian about this piece, in the clever way it showed the self serving, almost delusional behaviour of a man who has set himself and those he admires and considers to be his equals, above the laws of humanity and common decency.
She also writes a couple of stories about a character who is obviously a lady of easy virtue....these stories were very bleak and sad......perhaps she had observed women of this profession, and wondered what had happened in their lives to make them take this path.
Other stories tell cautionary tales of disillusionment, betrayal and broken promises.
Considering that du Maurier was a very young woman when most of these were written, only around 20, some of the subject matter seems very dark....even when the stories start out hopefully, they have sad and unhappy endings....one in particular is disturbingly bizarre.
Surely this was meant to have been a time in her life when she should have been hopeful of the future....it does point to her being a little unhappy and disturbed herself....I can't help but remember things I read in one of her biographies, and feel that her own life experiences, or those of people around her, greatly influenced these short stories, and knowing that this author's life was somewhat unconventional lends more weight to the possibility that they are based....at least in certain elements, on facts......either events in her own life, or of people she knew.
I've read that Daphne Du Maurier returned to some of the themes of her short stories when she wrote later novels....it's interesting to think that some of the characters and themes in these stories were the basis of the later, well known and populat novels for which she is remembered.
Some of these stories were better than others, but the writing was consistently good, with some of the pieces containing powerful messages about the society she found herself living in.
There were some memorable characters, such a clergyman, who is such an odious hypocrite....not really a man of god at all, but a man full of vanity and his own self importance, who abuses his position by using it to further his own questionable interests, and can treat a human being as disposable if it suits his purpose.
I felt that du Maurier was perhaps inspired to write this by something she had witnessed....there was something a little Dickensian about this piece, in the clever way it showed the self serving, almost delusional behaviour of a man who has set himself and those he admires and considers to be his equals, above the laws of humanity and common decency.
She also writes a couple of stories about a character who is obviously a lady of easy virtue....these stories were very bleak and sad......perhaps she had observed women of this profession, and wondered what had happened in their lives to make them take this path.
Other stories tell cautionary tales of disillusionment, betrayal and broken promises.
Considering that du Maurier was a very young woman when most of these were written, only around 20, some of the subject matter seems very dark....even when the stories start out hopefully, they have sad and unhappy endings....one in particular is disturbingly bizarre.
Surely this was meant to have been a time in her life when she should have been hopeful of the future....it does point to her being a little unhappy and disturbed herself....I can't help but remember things I read in one of her biographies, and feel that her own life experiences, or those of people around her, greatly influenced these short stories, and knowing that this author's life was somewhat unconventional lends more weight to the possibility that they are based....at least in certain elements, on facts......either events in her own life, or of people she knew.
I've read that Daphne Du Maurier returned to some of the themes of her short stories when she wrote later novels....it's interesting to think that some of the characters and themes in these stories were the basis of the later, well known and populat novels for which she is remembered.
January 10, 2018
This collection of thirteen 'lost' stories by Daphne du Maurier has been sitting neglected in my bookcase for a few years now. Since 2018 is supposed to be my year to tidy up all such things, I thought it was about time to read it.
I have read nearly every title by this author, and have most of them up in Arizona in Mom's house. So when I heard about this one, of course I had to order it. But it has been many years since I read her work, and perhaps my tastes have changed, or else these earlier pieces were not as compelling for me as her later work. I am not sure, I just know I did not react the way I did forty years ago.
Obsession, jealousy, sexual frustration, gruesome surprise endings, the way lies affect people in a relationship, dreams and nightmares coming true. These are some of the themes of the collection. My favorite was The Happy Valley, where a woman dreams her entire life of a house and the countryside around it. What happens when she finally sees the very same house in real life?
The weirdest one was the title story, The Doll. Written as a type of journal by a man who was trying to explain and comprehend what had happened between himself, a young woman named Rebecca, and her roommate Julio. Weird and creepy.
When I started the final story, The Limpet, I knew I had read it already. But if these were early stories that had never appeared in any one volume before, how was that possible? Turned out this story had been published in the American edition of The Breaking Point, but not in the UK edition. So that explains how I was familiar with the story of an incredibly selfish, passive-aggressive creature who ruined her own life and everyone else's.
The characters all seem over the top, and yet I know there are such people around. The author portrays them with skill, and imagines events that seem credible, even the weird one about Julio. But hers is a dark and depressing world, and I am glad to be out of it so quickly, to tell the truth.
I have read nearly every title by this author, and have most of them up in Arizona in Mom's house. So when I heard about this one, of course I had to order it. But it has been many years since I read her work, and perhaps my tastes have changed, or else these earlier pieces were not as compelling for me as her later work. I am not sure, I just know I did not react the way I did forty years ago.
Obsession, jealousy, sexual frustration, gruesome surprise endings, the way lies affect people in a relationship, dreams and nightmares coming true. These are some of the themes of the collection. My favorite was The Happy Valley, where a woman dreams her entire life of a house and the countryside around it. What happens when she finally sees the very same house in real life?
The weirdest one was the title story, The Doll. Written as a type of journal by a man who was trying to explain and comprehend what had happened between himself, a young woman named Rebecca, and her roommate Julio. Weird and creepy.
When I started the final story, The Limpet, I knew I had read it already. But if these were early stories that had never appeared in any one volume before, how was that possible? Turned out this story had been published in the American edition of The Breaking Point, but not in the UK edition. So that explains how I was familiar with the story of an incredibly selfish, passive-aggressive creature who ruined her own life and everyone else's.
The characters all seem over the top, and yet I know there are such people around. The author portrays them with skill, and imagines events that seem credible, even the weird one about Julio. But hers is a dark and depressing world, and I am glad to be out of it so quickly, to tell the truth.
May 18, 2015
Loved it. She was morbid and weird and crazy, at least in her writing. I've recently read a book about her, her father and James Barrie, author of Peter Pan. It's a wonder she got to age 23 with her brain intact.
I look forward to 2039, and hope I am still around, to read her adolescent diaries, which she forbid to be published until that date.
Still, even if I knew nothing of her background, these stories would be great. 'The Doll' itself is one of the weirdest things I've ever read, but knowing who her father was - somehow it all makes sense.
I look forward to 2039, and hope I am still around, to read her adolescent diaries, which she forbid to be published until that date.
Still, even if I knew nothing of her background, these stories would be great. 'The Doll' itself is one of the weirdest things I've ever read, but knowing who her father was - somehow it all makes sense.
January 6, 2024
Разказите на Дафни дю Морие са приятни и интересни, но много повече харесвам нейните прекрасни романи! От този сборник с ранните ѝ творби си личи, че впоследствие ще се превърне в голяма писателка, тъй като страшно убедително поднася на читателите силни и поучителни истории, създавайки изключително привлекателна атмосфера. Любимият ми разказ от книгата е „Пикадили“.
October 15, 2021
An interesting premise, but IMHO the writing style is over the top and the male main character is basically a stalker. But as this text was written at the beginning of the author's literary career, I cannot demand too much from her. Scribd.com's English text, and translation for Portuguese + audio in English from Google Translate. Continuing the Project Learning English by myself.
April 11, 2023
Probably about 3.3 stars overall. There are 13 short stories in this book, and obviously, some are better than others. I would describe most of them as being more like character studies, rather than well-rounded, completed tales. ‘The Doll’, the short story which this collection is titled after, is a good example of this - it’s about two strange, obsessive people crossing paths, which is then left open ended.
Quite a few of the stories are about love quickly turning sour - the ‘Week-End’ was quite fun, while ‘Piccadilly’ is rather sad.
I think the strongest stories in this collection are, ‘And Now to God the Father’ and ‘The Limpet’ - two studies of toxic people. I’m sure we’ve all met people like them (and, if you haven’t, you might be the toxic one :-/ ), and it’s chilling how these types of people cause so much damage and get away with it. Du Maurier has managed to capture them so well here.
‘The Happy Valley’, has seeds of the ideas which du Maurier would use later in ‘Rebecca’, and, as a fan of that novel, I found this really interesting. In fact, a lot of the stories in this book were written early in du Maurier’s career, and it was clear she was trying out ideas and characters she would develop later in her novels. If you’re interested in du Maurier’s work, or just writing in general, this book makes for an interesting study in writing as a craft.
Quite a few of the stories are about love quickly turning sour - the ‘Week-End’ was quite fun, while ‘Piccadilly’ is rather sad.
I think the strongest stories in this collection are, ‘And Now to God the Father’ and ‘The Limpet’ - two studies of toxic people. I’m sure we’ve all met people like them (and, if you haven’t, you might be the toxic one :-/ ), and it’s chilling how these types of people cause so much damage and get away with it. Du Maurier has managed to capture them so well here.
‘The Happy Valley’, has seeds of the ideas which du Maurier would use later in ‘Rebecca’, and, as a fan of that novel, I found this really interesting. In fact, a lot of the stories in this book were written early in du Maurier’s career, and it was clear she was trying out ideas and characters she would develop later in her novels. If you’re interested in du Maurier’s work, or just writing in general, this book makes for an interesting study in writing as a craft.
June 12, 2018
This was an excellent book of short stories written by Daphne du Maurier mostly in the years between 1926- 1932 although some were not published until later. They are written in the recognisable style of du Maurier with that hint of the cruelty and spitefulness of life.
Most of the stories are about relationships viewed from just one side, many from the point of view of the woman but some from the man’s point of view too.
East Wind - Passion disrupts the peace of a tranquil island.
The Doll – A Creepy tale of unnatural obsession.
And Now to God the Father – The sin of pride and its consequences upon the innocent bystanders.
Piccadilly – A young woman who is used, abused and discarded.
Tame Cat – A young girl out of her depth in a grown up world.
Mazie - A young woman trying to survive on the dark streets.
Nothing Hurts For Long – Having glibly said this to a good friend a woman finds what it is like to be on the other side .
Week-End – How a relationship that started to well can change so quickly.
The Happy Valley – A dream? A foreboding? Mental Illness?
And His Letters Grew Colder – A lover spurned or trying to break free from obsession.
The Limpet - A story of a manipulative and truly unpleasant woman.
Most of the stories are about relationships viewed from just one side, many from the point of view of the woman but some from the man’s point of view too.
East Wind - Passion disrupts the peace of a tranquil island.
The Doll – A Creepy tale of unnatural obsession.
And Now to God the Father – The sin of pride and its consequences upon the innocent bystanders.
Piccadilly – A young woman who is used, abused and discarded.
Tame Cat – A young girl out of her depth in a grown up world.
Mazie - A young woman trying to survive on the dark streets.
Nothing Hurts For Long – Having glibly said this to a good friend a woman finds what it is like to be on the other side .
Week-End – How a relationship that started to well can change so quickly.
The Happy Valley – A dream? A foreboding? Mental Illness?
And His Letters Grew Colder – A lover spurned or trying to break free from obsession.
The Limpet - A story of a manipulative and truly unpleasant woman.
July 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by Daphne du Maurier 🙂 and over the past year or so she's become a writer I very much admire awa enjoy. I've still only read a few of her books, and more of her short stories than her novels, but have started noticing some patterns and themes, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more 🙂
a kinda mix of summaries and responses, full of spoilers, if you read on...
🌟
1. East Wind
the island rock of St Hilda's and it's isolated inhabitants.
a storm, the wind from the East, brings in a large ship from far off lands...
the excitement and disruption the boat and it's sailors bring... then leaves on the morning tide, after the storm, and after the main damage has been done.
🌟🌟🌟🌟
2. The Doll
great introduction to the fictional reconstruction of a notebook 😃😉 and some of the notes within the text are fun, awa structuring and progressing the story 🙂
the intensity (of feeling, of thought, of ++) is really well conveyed 🙂 obsession?
great imagery and language in places. and a great ending - left feeling the despair and utter unknowing/lostness 🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
3. And Now to God the Father
this story brought a big change of pace, and a lighter tone. it also takes us back into the realm of the more mundane.
the new and modern, charismatic and charming, vicar... the population forgive his being high church cos of all the things they like about him... and that he teaches/understands their sin 😉
his scheming manipulation, ever securing his position in society thru strategic connections.
high contrast against the more local backdrop of class, gender, disability, poverty... the very real lives of those around him, including eg the curate...
felt very tongue in cheek, while at the same time providing serious social comment
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
4. A Difference in Temperament
individuality within a relationship vs doing everything together -
two opposing/polarised perspectives/feelings, a couple out of synch. miscommunication and misunderstanding. the characters wanting to behave better, not necessarily wanting to react as they do. each waiting for the other to make the first move, the placating move. I found this very well written.
"but that's not what I meant, he thought, that's not what I meant at all"
🌟🌟🌟🌟
5. Frustration.
a VERY long engagement... and abit of a disastrous wedding night 😆
a comedy more than anything, and a good antidote/foil to the story before 🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟
6. Piccadilly.
a woman on the corner/street, commiserating on what a dirty job a man has being a newspaper boy 😉 Maisie tells him her story... one of choices based on superstition and symbol 🙂
excellent character telling story, and monologue 😃
🌟🌟🌟🌟
7. Tame Cat.
a child growing up... perceptions and hopes.
her mother still sees her as a child... tho Uncle John can see the difference, and/or is abit creepy :/😯 and she's still young enough to be oblivious to his interest 😉
John as a tame cat... revealing himself to be a predatory cat...
her mother coming to erroneous conclusions too!
really interesting the different perspectives and reactions to a girl coming of age 🙂
the girl herself, who initially thought she was all grown up now, gradually understanding the dynamics and meanings, and thus finally coming of age at the end of the story 🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟
8. Maisie.
I think this was the same Maisie from 6/'Piccadilly' 😃
a day in her life - her friend Dolly's death following flu... her heart knocking against her chest... she meets Nora, who is well out of sorts (an sti? or an abortion?).
the difficulty of making ends meet on the street...
the thoughts and encounters Maisie has as she goes about her day... the cost of everything... an older woman begging.
Maisie's futures meeting her in the street. Maisie not being able to do anything about them, but focus on the moment.
I thought this was excellent 😃 poignant without being laboured.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
9. Nothing Hurts For Long.
a woman waiting for her husband, who is returning from three months away. she's focussed completely on his return, all thru that day, even tho he's not returning until evening. she's called to a friend whose relationship has ended, and gives sympathy and/or advice.
she returns home in time, but her husband is late.
I enjoyed her thoughts in this space of time, about who she is and what she is doing to herself for her man...
when he finally returns, she doesn't fully recognise him, and there's a new distance in their relationship.
the jingling his money in his pockets suddenly took me back to the man by the river in story 8! 😃😁 I loved the subtle interconnectedness of some of the stories 🙂😃😁
🌟🌟🌟🌟
10. Weekend.
another relationship that has experienced distance - he in India, she in London...
they're kinda congratulating themselves and each other about what a great connection they have... she tuning into his mood... how by the next day they give each other pet names and develop their own language.
for a while it even felt it's possible they're simply playing at the relationship, having only come together for the weekend, at the beach.
again there's a noticing of difference, compared to their previous knowing of each other within their relationship.
they take a boat out, and get stranded in a bay, and argue... ALOT! it begins to rain 😆 they see each other very differently, the rosiness gone.
the realisation that they're not at all compatible, and don't much like each other 😆
🌟🌟🌟🌟
11. The Happy Valley.
a woman in place.
a meeting, a connecting, and yet a slight remove on her part. an interestingly sketched story. a circularity. their dreams, some of which they recount, and the story has a dreamlike quality in places 🙂 her 'abstraction', out of place/time -ness. the chronology and reality of events is (deliberately) confusing. it suggested several possibilities, and it felt very complex wrt time and reality 🙂 the story had a great suspense and eeriness to it. "only herself was real".
I think this was my favourite (for its feeling) within the collection 🙂😃😁♥
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
12. And His Letters Grew Colder.
written in letters from one party to another, a man to a woman. you piece together some of what is happening in between.
a man writing his apparent infatuation with a woman, wanting more. there's reciprocation, a building relationship, but there are external constraints (tho not explicitly described). he comes across as romanticising and focussed on his own desires, tho occasionally acknowledges hers. then after a month away together, he seems to be backing off abit, citing her safety wrt not being seen together. suddenly worrying about the consequences late into the relationship, perhaps after he's gotten what he wanted.
it's quite uncomfortable to read - he's increasingly controlling, rejecting, dismissive, patronising, insulting 🙁😬😢
I thought it was well written to evoke all those emotions etc, and for me to be siding with a woman who's words I've never heard/read 😃
🌟🌟🌟🌟
13. The Limpet.
a woman narrating some of her life to date, starting with her current adult circumstances, and linking back to childhood experiences, then back to adulthood. her 'sensitivity'.
a hilarious portrait of a very manipulative young woman! 😆 very much 'that woman'! "...and noone can call me indiscreet" 😆
so very tongue in cheek.
in my mind, fasure a rival for some of Alan Bennett's pieces - I think in part it's the monologue making me think to him, awa the kind of character and humour.
at just under an hour, I initially thought it might be a little long, but it went by quickly 😯🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, very well read by Hattie Morahan 🙂
a kinda mix of summaries and responses, full of spoilers, if you read on...
🌟
1. East Wind
the island rock of St Hilda's and it's isolated inhabitants.
a storm, the wind from the East, brings in a large ship from far off lands...
the excitement and disruption the boat and it's sailors bring... then leaves on the morning tide, after the storm, and after the main damage has been done.
🌟🌟🌟🌟
2. The Doll
great introduction to the fictional reconstruction of a notebook 😃😉 and some of the notes within the text are fun, awa structuring and progressing the story 🙂
the intensity (of feeling, of thought, of ++) is really well conveyed 🙂 obsession?
great imagery and language in places. and a great ending - left feeling the despair and utter unknowing/lostness 🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
3. And Now to God the Father
this story brought a big change of pace, and a lighter tone. it also takes us back into the realm of the more mundane.
the new and modern, charismatic and charming, vicar... the population forgive his being high church cos of all the things they like about him... and that he teaches/understands their sin 😉
his scheming manipulation, ever securing his position in society thru strategic connections.
high contrast against the more local backdrop of class, gender, disability, poverty... the very real lives of those around him, including eg the curate...
felt very tongue in cheek, while at the same time providing serious social comment
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
4. A Difference in Temperament
individuality within a relationship vs doing everything together -
two opposing/polarised perspectives/feelings, a couple out of synch. miscommunication and misunderstanding. the characters wanting to behave better, not necessarily wanting to react as they do. each waiting for the other to make the first move, the placating move. I found this very well written.
"but that's not what I meant, he thought, that's not what I meant at all"
🌟🌟🌟🌟
5. Frustration.
a VERY long engagement... and abit of a disastrous wedding night 😆
a comedy more than anything, and a good antidote/foil to the story before 🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟
6. Piccadilly.
a woman on the corner/street, commiserating on what a dirty job a man has being a newspaper boy 😉 Maisie tells him her story... one of choices based on superstition and symbol 🙂
excellent character telling story, and monologue 😃
🌟🌟🌟🌟
7. Tame Cat.
a child growing up... perceptions and hopes.
her mother still sees her as a child... tho Uncle John can see the difference, and/or is abit creepy :/😯 and she's still young enough to be oblivious to his interest 😉
John as a tame cat... revealing himself to be a predatory cat...
her mother coming to erroneous conclusions too!
really interesting the different perspectives and reactions to a girl coming of age 🙂
the girl herself, who initially thought she was all grown up now, gradually understanding the dynamics and meanings, and thus finally coming of age at the end of the story 🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟
8. Maisie.
I think this was the same Maisie from 6/'Piccadilly' 😃
a day in her life - her friend Dolly's death following flu... her heart knocking against her chest... she meets Nora, who is well out of sorts (an sti? or an abortion?).
the difficulty of making ends meet on the street...
the thoughts and encounters Maisie has as she goes about her day... the cost of everything... an older woman begging.
Maisie's futures meeting her in the street. Maisie not being able to do anything about them, but focus on the moment.
I thought this was excellent 😃 poignant without being laboured.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
9. Nothing Hurts For Long.
a woman waiting for her husband, who is returning from three months away. she's focussed completely on his return, all thru that day, even tho he's not returning until evening. she's called to a friend whose relationship has ended, and gives sympathy and/or advice.
she returns home in time, but her husband is late.
I enjoyed her thoughts in this space of time, about who she is and what she is doing to herself for her man...
when he finally returns, she doesn't fully recognise him, and there's a new distance in their relationship.
the jingling his money in his pockets suddenly took me back to the man by the river in story 8! 😃😁 I loved the subtle interconnectedness of some of the stories 🙂😃😁
🌟🌟🌟🌟
10. Weekend.
another relationship that has experienced distance - he in India, she in London...
they're kinda congratulating themselves and each other about what a great connection they have... she tuning into his mood... how by the next day they give each other pet names and develop their own language.
for a while it even felt it's possible they're simply playing at the relationship, having only come together for the weekend, at the beach.
again there's a noticing of difference, compared to their previous knowing of each other within their relationship.
they take a boat out, and get stranded in a bay, and argue... ALOT! it begins to rain 😆 they see each other very differently, the rosiness gone.
the realisation that they're not at all compatible, and don't much like each other 😆
🌟🌟🌟🌟
11. The Happy Valley.
a woman in place.
a meeting, a connecting, and yet a slight remove on her part. an interestingly sketched story. a circularity. their dreams, some of which they recount, and the story has a dreamlike quality in places 🙂 her 'abstraction', out of place/time -ness. the chronology and reality of events is (deliberately) confusing. it suggested several possibilities, and it felt very complex wrt time and reality 🙂 the story had a great suspense and eeriness to it. "only herself was real".
I think this was my favourite (for its feeling) within the collection 🙂😃😁♥
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
12. And His Letters Grew Colder.
written in letters from one party to another, a man to a woman. you piece together some of what is happening in between.
a man writing his apparent infatuation with a woman, wanting more. there's reciprocation, a building relationship, but there are external constraints (tho not explicitly described). he comes across as romanticising and focussed on his own desires, tho occasionally acknowledges hers. then after a month away together, he seems to be backing off abit, citing her safety wrt not being seen together. suddenly worrying about the consequences late into the relationship, perhaps after he's gotten what he wanted.
it's quite uncomfortable to read - he's increasingly controlling, rejecting, dismissive, patronising, insulting 🙁😬😢
I thought it was well written to evoke all those emotions etc, and for me to be siding with a woman who's words I've never heard/read 😃
🌟🌟🌟🌟
13. The Limpet.
a woman narrating some of her life to date, starting with her current adult circumstances, and linking back to childhood experiences, then back to adulthood. her 'sensitivity'.
a hilarious portrait of a very manipulative young woman! 😆 very much 'that woman'! "...and noone can call me indiscreet" 😆
so very tongue in cheek.
in my mind, fasure a rival for some of Alan Bennett's pieces - I think in part it's the monologue making me think to him, awa the kind of character and humour.
at just under an hour, I initially thought it might be a little long, but it went by quickly 😯🙂
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, very well read by Hattie Morahan 🙂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2020
Reviewed for Books and livres
Usually, when you pick a book of short stories, there are a few stories you really love, others that are good, others that you don't care about. What struck me about these short stories is that I loved them all ! Well, maybe not adored Mazie's first appearance - not that I didn't like it, just that this kind of story had been told before, though I loved the narrative. Until I got to the second Mazie story, that was so poignant I still feel bad for her. A third story and what would she have become ?...
Anyway, back to the point : I was surprised at how much I was captivated by those stories. They were written by Daphne du Maurier when she was very young (except the last one in my edition, The limpet, that was awesome), but let me tell you she already had an amazing talent back then ! I loved her sense of humour, I really laughed several times. I found her creepiness disturbing (yes, some stories were creepy, especially when you think about her and her father/mother). I loved how she could make us dive so very quickly into a situation with well drawn characters. The one about the hidden house in the woods was... eerie ? Prophetic ? Like she knew she would find Menabilly one day ?
There has never been a book of short stories that I annotated so much before. As I said, I didn't expect to be absorbed by it as much as I was and can only recommend it, very strongly, to you !
Usually, when you pick a book of short stories, there are a few stories you really love, others that are good, others that you don't care about. What struck me about these short stories is that I loved them all ! Well, maybe not adored Mazie's first appearance - not that I didn't like it, just that this kind of story had been told before, though I loved the narrative. Until I got to the second Mazie story, that was so poignant I still feel bad for her. A third story and what would she have become ?...
Anyway, back to the point : I was surprised at how much I was captivated by those stories. They were written by Daphne du Maurier when she was very young (except the last one in my edition, The limpet, that was awesome), but let me tell you she already had an amazing talent back then ! I loved her sense of humour, I really laughed several times. I found her creepiness disturbing (yes, some stories were creepy, especially when you think about her and her father/mother). I loved how she could make us dive so very quickly into a situation with well drawn characters. The one about the hidden house in the woods was... eerie ? Prophetic ? Like she knew she would find Menabilly one day ?
There has never been a book of short stories that I annotated so much before. As I said, I didn't expect to be absorbed by it as much as I was and can only recommend it, very strongly, to you !
December 26, 2017
Some things should stay lost! While these stories show the seeds of DuMaurier’s way with atmosphere and menace, they are obvious and one-notedly meanspirited in a way that her best work would never dream of being.
The narrator had a somewhat sharp grating voice that added to the general feeling that these very short stories were somehow too long.
The narrator had a somewhat sharp grating voice that added to the general feeling that these very short stories were somehow too long.
March 9, 2016
I don't know what happened this time. The first time through I could not get through this collection. My mind was wandering, I couldn't even get through the sentences. I just took it off my reading shelf and ignored it for more than a year. This time though, I flew this collection. Daphne du Maurier is able to tap into the deepest/darkest parts of people and is able to wrap it up in just a few pages. I thought all of these stories were great.
East Wind (4.5 stars)-This story is just giving you a little taste of the stories you are going to read in this collection. Reading about a remote island where the inhabitants find themselves acting out once a wind blows a boat with foreign sailors ashore is great. The ending shocked me. It was so sudden that I had to re-read it to make sure that I read it properly. And in typical du Maurier fashion there is definitely dark humor in play at the ending when as a reader you realize that the character of Guthrie didn't need to do what he did.
The Doll (5 stars)-Wow. First of all, I hate dolls. They freak me out, and I don't like the glass eyes following you around. This story about an unknown narrator who leaves a letter found by someone in which you can see the narrator's increasing madness when it comes to a woman he is obsessed/loves who is in turns focused on a doll.
And Now to God The Father (4.5 stars)-The character of Reverend James Hollaway can go kick rocks. Hard. Seriously though, I loved how you get to see the inner workings of this supposed religious man.
A Difference in Temperament (5 stars)-This one made me laugh. Mostly because you get to see how a couple acts and thinks and you realize everything would be solved if they actually spoke up without being passive aggressive to one another. This one had a dark humor flavor to it as well. Not as much as East Wind though.
Frustration (5 stars)- Was hilarious from beginning to end. This and A Difference in Temperament were more let's laugh at how human beings act and how all of their plans go up in smoke. The Doll was more let's be afraid of ever interacting with other people again.
Piccadilly (4 stars)- This one was not as great as the other stories. And considering I loved the other ones that's not a real complaint. It just stuck out a lot more compared to the other stories. This got the collection back to a "darker" sentiment.
Tame Cat (5 stars)-Heartbreaking. Seriously. You will feel for the young girl called "Baby" by her "Uncle" John in this one. Being proud to return home to be with her mother and show her how she has changed. She gets her eyes opened in more ways than one.
Mazie (4 stars)-Once again this one was not as great as the other stories. I was not as engaged with this one. It probably was because Tame Cat was so good and I wished that one had gone on a bit longer.
Nothing Hurts for Long (5 stars)-A woman's awakening to what state her marriage is really in after witnessing the implosion of her friend's marriage. Once again there was a sly dark humor running through this one. You knew that the main character was going to get a pie in her face by the end, and du Maurier did not disappoint.
Week-End (5 stars)-Funny (which makes me kind of messed up by the way) from beginning to end. Watch young love die. Seriously though, it did make me laugh. And notice how the title of this story is labeled.
The Happy Valley (5 stars)-I dithered about this one a bit, but honestly it was kind of all over the place until the very end. But, it needed to be since you could feel the confusion of the main character until the final reveal which I thought was brilliantly done. I actually got a shiver up my spine when I got to a certain part and the ending.
As His Letters Grew Colder (5 stars)-The end of an affair. Seriously. It was wonderful to read from beginning to end. It reminded me of Sex and the City when (spoilers)
Carrie and Big begin their affair and you see how hot and passionate it was and how it went to indifference over time in a 1 minute montage.
The Limpet (4.5 stars)-Not the strongest to end on in this collection. It was still great though. Reading about a woman's constant complaints about her life though without her even realizing what a schemer she really is and also how she is at turns naive.
East Wind (4.5 stars)-This story is just giving you a little taste of the stories you are going to read in this collection. Reading about a remote island where the inhabitants find themselves acting out once a wind blows a boat with foreign sailors ashore is great. The ending shocked me. It was so sudden that I had to re-read it to make sure that I read it properly. And in typical du Maurier fashion there is definitely dark humor in play at the ending when as a reader you realize that the character of Guthrie didn't need to do what he did.
The Doll (5 stars)-Wow. First of all, I hate dolls. They freak me out, and I don't like the glass eyes following you around. This story about an unknown narrator who leaves a letter found by someone in which you can see the narrator's increasing madness when it comes to a woman he is obsessed/loves who is in turns focused on a doll.
And Now to God The Father (4.5 stars)-The character of Reverend James Hollaway can go kick rocks. Hard. Seriously though, I loved how you get to see the inner workings of this supposed religious man.
A Difference in Temperament (5 stars)-This one made me laugh. Mostly because you get to see how a couple acts and thinks and you realize everything would be solved if they actually spoke up without being passive aggressive to one another. This one had a dark humor flavor to it as well. Not as much as East Wind though.
Frustration (5 stars)- Was hilarious from beginning to end. This and A Difference in Temperament were more let's laugh at how human beings act and how all of their plans go up in smoke. The Doll was more let's be afraid of ever interacting with other people again.
Piccadilly (4 stars)- This one was not as great as the other stories. And considering I loved the other ones that's not a real complaint. It just stuck out a lot more compared to the other stories. This got the collection back to a "darker" sentiment.
Tame Cat (5 stars)-Heartbreaking. Seriously. You will feel for the young girl called "Baby" by her "Uncle" John in this one. Being proud to return home to be with her mother and show her how she has changed. She gets her eyes opened in more ways than one.
Mazie (4 stars)-Once again this one was not as great as the other stories. I was not as engaged with this one. It probably was because Tame Cat was so good and I wished that one had gone on a bit longer.
Nothing Hurts for Long (5 stars)-A woman's awakening to what state her marriage is really in after witnessing the implosion of her friend's marriage. Once again there was a sly dark humor running through this one. You knew that the main character was going to get a pie in her face by the end, and du Maurier did not disappoint.
Week-End (5 stars)-Funny (which makes me kind of messed up by the way) from beginning to end. Watch young love die. Seriously though, it did make me laugh. And notice how the title of this story is labeled.
The Happy Valley (5 stars)-I dithered about this one a bit, but honestly it was kind of all over the place until the very end. But, it needed to be since you could feel the confusion of the main character until the final reveal which I thought was brilliantly done. I actually got a shiver up my spine when I got to a certain part and the ending.
As His Letters Grew Colder (5 stars)-The end of an affair. Seriously. It was wonderful to read from beginning to end. It reminded me of Sex and the City when (spoilers)
Carrie and Big begin their affair and you see how hot and passionate it was and how it went to indifference over time in a 1 minute montage.
The Limpet (4.5 stars)-Not the strongest to end on in this collection. It was still great though. Reading about a woman's constant complaints about her life though without her even realizing what a schemer she really is and also how she is at turns naive.
December 30, 2024
With the exception of ‘The Limpet’, the stories in this collection were written very early in Daphne du Maurier’s career, from 1926-1932, although some weren’t published until years later. As I read through, it made me think that even at a young age, Daphne was very cynical about men, the themes here being of domestic drama, and how women were made to feel silly, used, and insecure.
East Wind- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ poetic, surprising, beautifully executed, dark.
The Doll - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ how very strange, Rebecca and her relationship with a doll.
And Now to God the Father - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ indeed, Father, indeed!
A Difference in Temperament - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ or perhaps could be called ‘Tolerating the Narcissist in Your Life’.
Frustration - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ certainly not your average wedding night for this undeserving young couple!
Piccadilly - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mazie, you foolish girl!!
Tame Cat - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Uncle John, you revolting, sly ol’ Tom cat - there’s nothing tame about you!
Mazie -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Shop girls in black satin, trying to look superior - the sluts’. Her [Mazie] bitterness shines through, stemming from the perils of her Piccadilly lifestyle, perhaps.
Nothing Hurts for Long - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ another beautifully written piece about the pains of relationships and whether women overthink things, or sense that there’s something wrong…
Week-End- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ another snippet of DDM’s attitude towards men and relationships.
The Happy Valley - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So haunting and so beautifully crafted! My favourite story of the collection by far.
And His Letters Grew Colder - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a lot of the men created in Daphne’s imagination are heartless. They turn on the charm, and then become cold when excitement wanes.
The Limpet - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dilly has such ambition, feisty and forward thinking, but why is she ‘so unlucky and so unhappy?’
East Wind- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ poetic, surprising, beautifully executed, dark.
The Doll - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ how very strange, Rebecca and her relationship with a doll.
And Now to God the Father - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ indeed, Father, indeed!
A Difference in Temperament - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ or perhaps could be called ‘Tolerating the Narcissist in Your Life’.
Frustration - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ certainly not your average wedding night for this undeserving young couple!
Piccadilly - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mazie, you foolish girl!!
Tame Cat - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Uncle John, you revolting, sly ol’ Tom cat - there’s nothing tame about you!
Mazie -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Shop girls in black satin, trying to look superior - the sluts’. Her [Mazie] bitterness shines through, stemming from the perils of her Piccadilly lifestyle, perhaps.
Nothing Hurts for Long - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ another beautifully written piece about the pains of relationships and whether women overthink things, or sense that there’s something wrong…
Week-End- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ another snippet of DDM’s attitude towards men and relationships.
The Happy Valley - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So haunting and so beautifully crafted! My favourite story of the collection by far.
And His Letters Grew Colder - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a lot of the men created in Daphne’s imagination are heartless. They turn on the charm, and then become cold when excitement wanes.
The Limpet - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dilly has such ambition, feisty and forward thinking, but why is she ‘so unlucky and so unhappy?’
November 23, 2011
Original review posted here
I don’t know which short story to gush about in this review. From the creepy, ick factor of the book’s title story, The Doll, to the heartbreaking loss experienced in East Wind, to the funny, but bittersweet tale of Frustration… I could go on and on.
I think one story though really got to me. I loved them all for their tragic, gothic-like settings, stories and people.. but there is one story that is all letters that move from the thrilling moments of a new, forbidden love to the eventual falling away of the same. This is a repeated theme in these short stories – there’s no hugely romantic gestures, just simple, every day life laid bare and man’s shortcomings exposed in all sorts of heartbreaking detail.
I know, however, that this is one of the best collections of short stories I’ve read. I can say this because this tiny little book inspires me to try my own hand at short stories, even though they’ll be no where near as perfect as du Maurier’s. Still.. these stories have shown me the endless possibilities that can be reached with just a few pages of story – and how much wealth there is in a backstory and future that are left untold.
I don’t know which short story to gush about in this review. From the creepy, ick factor of the book’s title story, The Doll, to the heartbreaking loss experienced in East Wind, to the funny, but bittersweet tale of Frustration… I could go on and on.
I think one story though really got to me. I loved them all for their tragic, gothic-like settings, stories and people.. but there is one story that is all letters that move from the thrilling moments of a new, forbidden love to the eventual falling away of the same. This is a repeated theme in these short stories – there’s no hugely romantic gestures, just simple, every day life laid bare and man’s shortcomings exposed in all sorts of heartbreaking detail.
I know, however, that this is one of the best collections of short stories I’ve read. I can say this because this tiny little book inspires me to try my own hand at short stories, even though they’ll be no where near as perfect as du Maurier’s. Still.. these stories have shown me the endless possibilities that can be reached with just a few pages of story – and how much wealth there is in a backstory and future that are left untold.
August 14, 2012
The Doll is a collection of du Maurier's early short stories. The introduction (by someone I'm not otherwise aware of) seems to suggest that the main interest here is in the beginnings of themes that later haunted her work, and the glimpses of the things that haunted her personally. I'm not that interested in that, though, but I still found the stories well-crafted and interesting. Daphne du Maurier certainly had a way with her narration; 'The Limpet' made me smile in recognition...
Not as fine as her later work, but worth a look if you're interested in du Maurier and the kind of stories she wrote.
Not as fine as her later work, but worth a look if you're interested in du Maurier and the kind of stories she wrote.
June 25, 2018
*OVERALL RATING 4 Stars*
East Wind – 4 Stars
This was such a well written little piece that really gave the initial sense of isolation on the island, of the lost souls among it, and then the jubilation at having visitors from the outside world that brought them drink and showed them how to dance. The women discovered themselves, were tempted by things unknown to them, consumed by passion. But this comes at a cost, in this case with an axe to the head. Underneath all the jubilation, there was an approaching darkness, and undercurrent of evil that was brought in with the tide. The east wind changed everything for the islanders, and then sooner had it come, it was gone. The visitors not unlike the wind itself, leaving destruction in its wake.
The Doll – 5 Stars
Daphne Du Maurier was 20 when she wrote this story. It is so dark, and also before it’s time. The female is able to have sexual desire without the need of a man, which at the time it was written would have been unheard of. No wonder it was never published after she wrote it. The style was also interesting, with the narrative being from a notebook, which was found on a beach by another man who felt the writings were too important to be ignored. They tell the story of a man who falls in love with a musician by the name of Rebecca, but she toys with him, plays with his affection to the point that he is almost driven to insanity. Rebecca one night introduces her to Julio, a man sized doll who she seems to have a strange affinity with, and immediately the man knows there is something wrong and that Rebecca is out of his reach.
‘Is it possible to love someone so much, that it gives one a pleasure, an unaccountable pleasure to hurt them?’
It is such a fantastic story, so well written, and it all seems so immediate. I cannot help but think what became of the man and why he left his notebook to find. Meanwhile Rebecca seems to carry on, alone, but not needing anyone else to sustain her, to love her. There are likenesses between this Rebecca and the character by the same name in her later novel Rebecca, to the point where you can almost see the idea start to bud.
And Now to God the Father – 3 Stars
The story of Reverend James Hollaway did not strike me as much as the other stories in this collection so far, but that is not to say that it was not enjoyable. It seems the good Reverend is only interested in his looks and his status in society, to the point where he ignores the plight of a young and vulnerable girl taken advantage of by a high society boy. Not very Christian at all. Maybe that was the point of the story. When the girl turns up dead after speaking to the Reverend, he appears unconcerned, instead feeling perhaps relief that a situation he was tasked to deal with has been resolved. He returns to his sermons, his social life, and his high status, without one care for this loss of life, completely undervaluing the girl and her feelings and even her position in society. Powerful men make the rules, and God seems to bend to their will, with religion nothing more than a tool used to control by those tasked to wield it.
A Difference in Temperament – 4 Stars
I absolutely loved this. Funny, it reminded me of my husband and myself in a way. The thoughts of both the man and the woman seemed so real, and I swear I have had something akin to that argument before. It was so fantastically written that the narrative switched from the husband to the wife so easily and almost without detection, yet each had their own voice.
‘In the universe they were two stars, she far higher, burning with a steady light, but he flickering unsteadily, always a little ahead – and in the end falling to earth, and momentary streak in the sky.’
Sometimes a relationship can envelope you so completely you are lost without the other person, yet you want something for yourself, which feels like a betrayal to the other, who seems to only want you. Your thoughts play tricks as you try to justify yourself, and in the end you end up concocting the most extreme situation where you lose everything as if your subconscious is trying to teach you a lesson for being so selfish. This story was so human, so real and relatable.
Frustration – 3.5 Stars
I think this was Daphne’s take on comedy as it was considerably lighter than the stories before it. A couple finally decide to get married, and after seven long years can finally be alone together. But after their wedding a comedy of errors ensues where their camping honeymoon is a disaster, their car and belongings get stolen, the wife loses her wedding ring down a drain, they are not allowed to stay in the same room together (and when the husband does try and get to his locks himself in his own room), and then ultimately get jobs where one works during the day and the other at night.
There was a definite change in tone with the story, with no dark undercurrent that ultimately signalled doom, although perhaps this couple were just not meant to be.
Piccadilly – 3 Stars
The majority of this story is told through Mazie’s eyes, as she related to a young newspaper boy what happened to her early in life and how she came to be, what I’m guessing is, a prostitute. She recalls the man who turned her to a life of crime, time she spent in prison, and then trying to find her way after she is released. She is a whimsical girl, taking her decisions from the signs around her, and her narrative is written so strongly.
I did like the often sad tale of Mazie’s youth, but it just didn’t catch me like other stories in this collection. The end passage, when she is going down into the train tunnels and sees her boyfriend heading up the stairs the other way with another girl, was really symbolic and troubling, a sign of the lost girl and the man she protected who now has everything. But it was the last line that did to for me, it was so striking that I ended up reading it about three or four times.
‘What was the sign?’ she said. ‘Why, it came straight from God written big above my head, in letters of fire at the end of the platform – “Follow The Red Light For Piccadilly”.’
Tame Cat – 4 Stars
Poor Baby, she is so naïve. I really felt for this protagonist, even though I could tell exactly where the story was going. Baby is coming back home from being at the ‘pension’ and she is all grown up, wishing to partake in the social activities of the city and have fun with her mother. Alas, as soon as the mother sees her beautiful daughter she is different towards her, cold and distant. Baby just wants to go and have some fun, which she finds with her Uncle John, who same call the tame cat. She recalls how often the Uncle is around, but doesn’t actually realise until right at the end that they have been lovers for years. Now Baby is around, Uncle John’s attentions start to shift towards Baby, and while she believes he is being a gentleman, she is entering into an affair that will drive a wedge between her and the mother.
It is a story about growing up, realising that things are changing and the real world is different to what she had imagined it. This story had that dark undertone that I love in Daphne’s work. While Baby was so innocent and young spirited, there was around her a dark presence that seemed to haunt her despite her trying to deny its presence. Even at the end there was no relief for Baby, and her statement:
'So being grown up was this: a sordid tissue of intimate relationships, complicated and vile.'
Mazie – 3 Stars
This featured the same character from the Picadilly short story, but focused more on Mazie’s life as a prostitute. Again, the voice of the character in the narrative was really strong, but the story just didn’t resonate with me. To be honest, I can’t really remember too much of it now I look back. Mazie seemed to be going through her life, relishing in her dreams when she could, but with no real mind towards the future and what she could become as she ages and her dreams become further and further away.
Nothing Hurts for Long – 4 Stars
This was a lovely detailed little piece about a woman waiting for her husband to return after three months in Berlin. She plans every part of the evening down to the food, flowers, and fire, and she sings as she dresses and positions everything just right. But things do not work out as she planned, and everything that was once beautiful has turned to ash in her eyes. Her friend May calls distressed, stating that her husband has left her after he returned from America and he was different. But yet, this could not happen to her, not when the love her and the husband have are so strong.
That at such a young age Daphne could write such a tale that would likely ring true to a number of women, is truly amazing. She seems to get right to the crux of what it feels like, how everything turns so suddenly, how the need to please and love can be dashed and you try in vain to get some semblance of that back. It is also a testament to the changing nature of people, that our experiences change us. In some ways the woman is as trapped as the canary in a cage, singing alone in her house, soaking in the sun, never changing. There was a finality to the story as she contemplated that ‘nothing hurts for long,’ as even now she is preparing for the heartbreak that is likely to follow.
Week-End – 3.5 Stars
Another more comedic story as a loved up couple go away for a weekend, and then at the end realise that they cannot stand each other and end up leaving in different directions. It spoke to the never ending changes that love brings, but also to the naivety of youth. The fact that the couple ended up giving each other cute little nicknames and ended up sick and blaming each other for their predicament was so sudden but seemed to natural. You could see the narrative slowly start to change, as even little things seemed to be given the spotlight. Daphne has such an eye for detail, and knows the smallest thing can change the feel of the story, and this one was done quite well.
The Happy Valley – 4 Stars
Do I sense a bit of the supernatural here? This was the first story in this collection that gave the impression of something paranormal occurring, as the woman seemingly saw into her own future. This whole story was so well written, from the beauty of the Valley, to the harshness of the city. The woman’s link to the valley and the cottage located within was so sweetly explored, with a great attention to detail.
'Her dreaming mind, lost to the world and intensely alive in its own dream planet, would quieten and relax, would murmur in solitude, ‘I’m here, I’m happy, I’m home again.’
It was a momentary state beyond heaven and earth, suspended in time between two strokes of a clock, and so would be vanished again, and she waking to the familiarity of her own bedroom and the beginning of another day.'
This has to be one of my favourite pieces in this collection; it travelled so well and then had that slight twist at the end that really caught my surprise.
And His Letters Grew Colder – 3 Stars
Written in the form of letters from a man, known as X, to his love, referred to as A, and how over the passage of time they grew different, more detached, colder. The transition was quite well done, as I was waiting for a slow deterioration, but yet it came on quite suddenly. That a man could actively seek out a woman, and then over time treat her so poorly was very telling, and while he made some notice of her actions when she is around him, I couldn’t help but feel these were likely warranted. So many times X would apologise for hurting A or treating her poorly, and she would forgive him, but then it seemed that once the novelty wore out he was on to bigger and better things, and then just to leave as suddenly as he did.
Daphne has explore love in most of her stories, and focused on the changing nature of relationships, speaking to an experience that she could not have had at such as young age when she wrote the majority of these stories. But yet, she seems to grasp these feelings so well and explore them in an adult and sophisticated way (which I guess was a sign of her time). Perhaps it was the form of the story in letters that this one did not connect me as much to the characters or the story, or perhaps it was the one sided nature of them, but this one didn’t stick me as much as the others.
The Limpet – 4 Stars
This was the longest story in the whole collection, and focused around Dilly reflecting on her past and the people that have come and gone from her life.
'I seem to see faces around me, Father, Mother, Aunt Madge, Kenneth, Edwards, even poor Vermon Miles, and their expressions aren’t kind at all but somehow hunted. It’s as if they want to be rid of me. They can’t bear to be shadows. They’d like to get out of my memory and my life. Or is it that I want to be rid of them? I really don’t know. It’s too much of a muddle.'
Dilly is a manipulator. She has conned and twisted everyone who has come into her life, from her own parents and making them question their decisions, to her husband and constantly making him stand up for himself when he didn’t want to, and her lover as she tries to convince him to attain more power. Everyone in her life leaves her, and it is kind of easy to see why. Then at the end she has the audacity to claim that she was never given everything; she was, but she just squandered it. Dilly is such a well-built character though, and this story needed this length in order to really explore the person that she is. The story flowed so well and was so easy to read, and even the base characters were so well developed. Daphne can work so well both in short-short story as well as the longer short story, and she can shape her writing seemingly however she wants. She had such a skill with the written word.
East Wind – 4 Stars
This was such a well written little piece that really gave the initial sense of isolation on the island, of the lost souls among it, and then the jubilation at having visitors from the outside world that brought them drink and showed them how to dance. The women discovered themselves, were tempted by things unknown to them, consumed by passion. But this comes at a cost, in this case with an axe to the head. Underneath all the jubilation, there was an approaching darkness, and undercurrent of evil that was brought in with the tide. The east wind changed everything for the islanders, and then sooner had it come, it was gone. The visitors not unlike the wind itself, leaving destruction in its wake.
The Doll – 5 Stars
Daphne Du Maurier was 20 when she wrote this story. It is so dark, and also before it’s time. The female is able to have sexual desire without the need of a man, which at the time it was written would have been unheard of. No wonder it was never published after she wrote it. The style was also interesting, with the narrative being from a notebook, which was found on a beach by another man who felt the writings were too important to be ignored. They tell the story of a man who falls in love with a musician by the name of Rebecca, but she toys with him, plays with his affection to the point that he is almost driven to insanity. Rebecca one night introduces her to Julio, a man sized doll who she seems to have a strange affinity with, and immediately the man knows there is something wrong and that Rebecca is out of his reach.
‘Is it possible to love someone so much, that it gives one a pleasure, an unaccountable pleasure to hurt them?’
It is such a fantastic story, so well written, and it all seems so immediate. I cannot help but think what became of the man and why he left his notebook to find. Meanwhile Rebecca seems to carry on, alone, but not needing anyone else to sustain her, to love her. There are likenesses between this Rebecca and the character by the same name in her later novel Rebecca, to the point where you can almost see the idea start to bud.
And Now to God the Father – 3 Stars
The story of Reverend James Hollaway did not strike me as much as the other stories in this collection so far, but that is not to say that it was not enjoyable. It seems the good Reverend is only interested in his looks and his status in society, to the point where he ignores the plight of a young and vulnerable girl taken advantage of by a high society boy. Not very Christian at all. Maybe that was the point of the story. When the girl turns up dead after speaking to the Reverend, he appears unconcerned, instead feeling perhaps relief that a situation he was tasked to deal with has been resolved. He returns to his sermons, his social life, and his high status, without one care for this loss of life, completely undervaluing the girl and her feelings and even her position in society. Powerful men make the rules, and God seems to bend to their will, with religion nothing more than a tool used to control by those tasked to wield it.
A Difference in Temperament – 4 Stars
I absolutely loved this. Funny, it reminded me of my husband and myself in a way. The thoughts of both the man and the woman seemed so real, and I swear I have had something akin to that argument before. It was so fantastically written that the narrative switched from the husband to the wife so easily and almost without detection, yet each had their own voice.
‘In the universe they were two stars, she far higher, burning with a steady light, but he flickering unsteadily, always a little ahead – and in the end falling to earth, and momentary streak in the sky.’
Sometimes a relationship can envelope you so completely you are lost without the other person, yet you want something for yourself, which feels like a betrayal to the other, who seems to only want you. Your thoughts play tricks as you try to justify yourself, and in the end you end up concocting the most extreme situation where you lose everything as if your subconscious is trying to teach you a lesson for being so selfish. This story was so human, so real and relatable.
Frustration – 3.5 Stars
I think this was Daphne’s take on comedy as it was considerably lighter than the stories before it. A couple finally decide to get married, and after seven long years can finally be alone together. But after their wedding a comedy of errors ensues where their camping honeymoon is a disaster, their car and belongings get stolen, the wife loses her wedding ring down a drain, they are not allowed to stay in the same room together (and when the husband does try and get to his locks himself in his own room), and then ultimately get jobs where one works during the day and the other at night.
There was a definite change in tone with the story, with no dark undercurrent that ultimately signalled doom, although perhaps this couple were just not meant to be.
Piccadilly – 3 Stars
The majority of this story is told through Mazie’s eyes, as she related to a young newspaper boy what happened to her early in life and how she came to be, what I’m guessing is, a prostitute. She recalls the man who turned her to a life of crime, time she spent in prison, and then trying to find her way after she is released. She is a whimsical girl, taking her decisions from the signs around her, and her narrative is written so strongly.
I did like the often sad tale of Mazie’s youth, but it just didn’t catch me like other stories in this collection. The end passage, when she is going down into the train tunnels and sees her boyfriend heading up the stairs the other way with another girl, was really symbolic and troubling, a sign of the lost girl and the man she protected who now has everything. But it was the last line that did to for me, it was so striking that I ended up reading it about three or four times.
‘What was the sign?’ she said. ‘Why, it came straight from God written big above my head, in letters of fire at the end of the platform – “Follow The Red Light For Piccadilly”.’
Tame Cat – 4 Stars
Poor Baby, she is so naïve. I really felt for this protagonist, even though I could tell exactly where the story was going. Baby is coming back home from being at the ‘pension’ and she is all grown up, wishing to partake in the social activities of the city and have fun with her mother. Alas, as soon as the mother sees her beautiful daughter she is different towards her, cold and distant. Baby just wants to go and have some fun, which she finds with her Uncle John, who same call the tame cat. She recalls how often the Uncle is around, but doesn’t actually realise until right at the end that they have been lovers for years. Now Baby is around, Uncle John’s attentions start to shift towards Baby, and while she believes he is being a gentleman, she is entering into an affair that will drive a wedge between her and the mother.
It is a story about growing up, realising that things are changing and the real world is different to what she had imagined it. This story had that dark undertone that I love in Daphne’s work. While Baby was so innocent and young spirited, there was around her a dark presence that seemed to haunt her despite her trying to deny its presence. Even at the end there was no relief for Baby, and her statement:
'So being grown up was this: a sordid tissue of intimate relationships, complicated and vile.'
Mazie – 3 Stars
This featured the same character from the Picadilly short story, but focused more on Mazie’s life as a prostitute. Again, the voice of the character in the narrative was really strong, but the story just didn’t resonate with me. To be honest, I can’t really remember too much of it now I look back. Mazie seemed to be going through her life, relishing in her dreams when she could, but with no real mind towards the future and what she could become as she ages and her dreams become further and further away.
Nothing Hurts for Long – 4 Stars
This was a lovely detailed little piece about a woman waiting for her husband to return after three months in Berlin. She plans every part of the evening down to the food, flowers, and fire, and she sings as she dresses and positions everything just right. But things do not work out as she planned, and everything that was once beautiful has turned to ash in her eyes. Her friend May calls distressed, stating that her husband has left her after he returned from America and he was different. But yet, this could not happen to her, not when the love her and the husband have are so strong.
That at such a young age Daphne could write such a tale that would likely ring true to a number of women, is truly amazing. She seems to get right to the crux of what it feels like, how everything turns so suddenly, how the need to please and love can be dashed and you try in vain to get some semblance of that back. It is also a testament to the changing nature of people, that our experiences change us. In some ways the woman is as trapped as the canary in a cage, singing alone in her house, soaking in the sun, never changing. There was a finality to the story as she contemplated that ‘nothing hurts for long,’ as even now she is preparing for the heartbreak that is likely to follow.
Week-End – 3.5 Stars
Another more comedic story as a loved up couple go away for a weekend, and then at the end realise that they cannot stand each other and end up leaving in different directions. It spoke to the never ending changes that love brings, but also to the naivety of youth. The fact that the couple ended up giving each other cute little nicknames and ended up sick and blaming each other for their predicament was so sudden but seemed to natural. You could see the narrative slowly start to change, as even little things seemed to be given the spotlight. Daphne has such an eye for detail, and knows the smallest thing can change the feel of the story, and this one was done quite well.
The Happy Valley – 4 Stars
Do I sense a bit of the supernatural here? This was the first story in this collection that gave the impression of something paranormal occurring, as the woman seemingly saw into her own future. This whole story was so well written, from the beauty of the Valley, to the harshness of the city. The woman’s link to the valley and the cottage located within was so sweetly explored, with a great attention to detail.
'Her dreaming mind, lost to the world and intensely alive in its own dream planet, would quieten and relax, would murmur in solitude, ‘I’m here, I’m happy, I’m home again.’
It was a momentary state beyond heaven and earth, suspended in time between two strokes of a clock, and so would be vanished again, and she waking to the familiarity of her own bedroom and the beginning of another day.'
This has to be one of my favourite pieces in this collection; it travelled so well and then had that slight twist at the end that really caught my surprise.
And His Letters Grew Colder – 3 Stars
Written in the form of letters from a man, known as X, to his love, referred to as A, and how over the passage of time they grew different, more detached, colder. The transition was quite well done, as I was waiting for a slow deterioration, but yet it came on quite suddenly. That a man could actively seek out a woman, and then over time treat her so poorly was very telling, and while he made some notice of her actions when she is around him, I couldn’t help but feel these were likely warranted. So many times X would apologise for hurting A or treating her poorly, and she would forgive him, but then it seemed that once the novelty wore out he was on to bigger and better things, and then just to leave as suddenly as he did.
Daphne has explore love in most of her stories, and focused on the changing nature of relationships, speaking to an experience that she could not have had at such as young age when she wrote the majority of these stories. But yet, she seems to grasp these feelings so well and explore them in an adult and sophisticated way (which I guess was a sign of her time). Perhaps it was the form of the story in letters that this one did not connect me as much to the characters or the story, or perhaps it was the one sided nature of them, but this one didn’t stick me as much as the others.
The Limpet – 4 Stars
This was the longest story in the whole collection, and focused around Dilly reflecting on her past and the people that have come and gone from her life.
'I seem to see faces around me, Father, Mother, Aunt Madge, Kenneth, Edwards, even poor Vermon Miles, and their expressions aren’t kind at all but somehow hunted. It’s as if they want to be rid of me. They can’t bear to be shadows. They’d like to get out of my memory and my life. Or is it that I want to be rid of them? I really don’t know. It’s too much of a muddle.'
Dilly is a manipulator. She has conned and twisted everyone who has come into her life, from her own parents and making them question their decisions, to her husband and constantly making him stand up for himself when he didn’t want to, and her lover as she tries to convince him to attain more power. Everyone in her life leaves her, and it is kind of easy to see why. Then at the end she has the audacity to claim that she was never given everything; she was, but she just squandered it. Dilly is such a well-built character though, and this story needed this length in order to really explore the person that she is. The story flowed so well and was so easy to read, and even the base characters were so well developed. Daphne can work so well both in short-short story as well as the longer short story, and she can shape her writing seemingly however she wants. She had such a skill with the written word.
August 23, 2024
'El muñeco' es una colección de relatos inéditos de Daphne du Maurier, que ofrece una mirada a sus inicios como autora del suspense y la narrativa psicológica. A través de estos cuentos, se puede observar a Du Maurier en proceso de encontrar su voz, con relatos que muestran destellos de su talento, aunque algunos se sientan menos pulidos. Los temas de obsesión, miedo y tensión en lo cotidiano ya están presentes, destacando el cuento que da título a la colección como un ejemplo de su habilidad para crear atmósferas inquietantes.
Para los seguidores de Du Maurier, esta colección es un interesante ejercicio que revela la evolución de su estilo y su enfoque temático. Sin embargo, puede no ser la mejor introducción para quienes no están familiarizados con su obra. 'El muñeco' es una lectura valiosa, pero con expectativas moderadas, ya que no todos los relatos logran capturar la magia que definiría su carrera. Es un vistazo fascinante a sus inicios, aunque no necesariamente satisfactorio para quienes buscan su mejor trabajo.
-Viento del este (East Wind): En una isla remota, los habitantes experimentan un cambio inquietante cuando un barco llega a puerto. La tensión aumenta a medida que las relaciones se desintegran y se desatan emociones reprimidas.
-El muñeco (The Doll): Un hombre se obsesiona con una mujer misteriosa que posee un muñeco sorprendentemente realista. Este relato, que prefigura la atmósfera gótica de Rebecca, explora el deseo, la obsesión y la alienación.
-Y ahora a Dios nuestro Padre (And Now to God the Father): Este relato se centra en el reverendo James Holloway, un clérigo cuya fe y moralidad rígidas lo llevan a decisiones crueles y egoístas. La historia destaca la hipocresía en la religión y cómo la autojustificación puede distorsionar el sentido del deber y la piedad.
-Una diferencia de carácter (A Difference in Temperament): Una pareja se enfrenta a las diferencias fundamentales en sus personalidades durante un viaje. La incomunicación y la insatisfacción marital son los temas centrales.
-Frustración (Frustration): Una historia sobre las expectativas fallidas en un matrimonio. La pareja protagonista experimenta frustraciones crecientes que desembocan en un final inevitablemente triste.
-Piccadilly (Piccadilly): Una mujer relata a un reportero las vicisitudes que la llevaron a ser una prostituta.
-Gato doméstico (Tame Cat): Una joven regresa a casa y se da cuenta de que ha dejado atrás su inocencia. La historia explora la pérdida de la ingenuidad y la traición en un entorno familiar.
-Mazie (Mazie): Mazie, el mismo personaje protagonista del cuento Piccadilly, es una joven que sueña con una vida mejor, pero sus esperanzas se ven truncadas por la cruda realidad de su situación, explorando el tema del desencanto.
-Nada duele mucho tiempo (Nothing Hurts for Long): Un relato sobre la desesperanza en un matrimonio, donde la protagonista anticipa la traición de su esposo, lo que la lleva a un dolor que, como el título sugiere, es transitorio.
-Fin de semana (Week-End): La tensión en un matrimonio se intensifica durante un fin de semana, revelando las grietas en la relación que podrían llevar a su desmoronamiento.
-El valle feliz (The Happy Valley): Una mujer tiene sueños recurrentes de un valle hermoso, pero al visitar el lugar en la vida real, la experiencia toma un giro inquietante, evocando temas de destino y premonición.
-Y sus cartas se volvieron más frías (And His Letters Grew Colder): Un relato epistolar donde una relación amorosa se desmorona lentamente, revelando el deterioro emocional a través de las cartas cada vez más distantes del amante.
-La lapa (The Limpet): Dilly, una mujer que se define por su deseo de ayudar a los demás, acaba siendo manipulada por quienes la rodean. Sin embargo, la historia revela que ella no es tan inocente como parece, cuestionando las motivaciones detrás de la ayuda desinteresada.
Para los seguidores de Du Maurier, esta colección es un interesante ejercicio que revela la evolución de su estilo y su enfoque temático. Sin embargo, puede no ser la mejor introducción para quienes no están familiarizados con su obra. 'El muñeco' es una lectura valiosa, pero con expectativas moderadas, ya que no todos los relatos logran capturar la magia que definiría su carrera. Es un vistazo fascinante a sus inicios, aunque no necesariamente satisfactorio para quienes buscan su mejor trabajo.
-Viento del este (East Wind): En una isla remota, los habitantes experimentan un cambio inquietante cuando un barco llega a puerto. La tensión aumenta a medida que las relaciones se desintegran y se desatan emociones reprimidas.
-El muñeco (The Doll): Un hombre se obsesiona con una mujer misteriosa que posee un muñeco sorprendentemente realista. Este relato, que prefigura la atmósfera gótica de Rebecca, explora el deseo, la obsesión y la alienación.
-Y ahora a Dios nuestro Padre (And Now to God the Father): Este relato se centra en el reverendo James Holloway, un clérigo cuya fe y moralidad rígidas lo llevan a decisiones crueles y egoístas. La historia destaca la hipocresía en la religión y cómo la autojustificación puede distorsionar el sentido del deber y la piedad.
-Una diferencia de carácter (A Difference in Temperament): Una pareja se enfrenta a las diferencias fundamentales en sus personalidades durante un viaje. La incomunicación y la insatisfacción marital son los temas centrales.
-Frustración (Frustration): Una historia sobre las expectativas fallidas en un matrimonio. La pareja protagonista experimenta frustraciones crecientes que desembocan en un final inevitablemente triste.
-Piccadilly (Piccadilly): Una mujer relata a un reportero las vicisitudes que la llevaron a ser una prostituta.
-Gato doméstico (Tame Cat): Una joven regresa a casa y se da cuenta de que ha dejado atrás su inocencia. La historia explora la pérdida de la ingenuidad y la traición en un entorno familiar.
-Mazie (Mazie): Mazie, el mismo personaje protagonista del cuento Piccadilly, es una joven que sueña con una vida mejor, pero sus esperanzas se ven truncadas por la cruda realidad de su situación, explorando el tema del desencanto.
-Nada duele mucho tiempo (Nothing Hurts for Long): Un relato sobre la desesperanza en un matrimonio, donde la protagonista anticipa la traición de su esposo, lo que la lleva a un dolor que, como el título sugiere, es transitorio.
-Fin de semana (Week-End): La tensión en un matrimonio se intensifica durante un fin de semana, revelando las grietas en la relación que podrían llevar a su desmoronamiento.
-El valle feliz (The Happy Valley): Una mujer tiene sueños recurrentes de un valle hermoso, pero al visitar el lugar en la vida real, la experiencia toma un giro inquietante, evocando temas de destino y premonición.
-Y sus cartas se volvieron más frías (And His Letters Grew Colder): Un relato epistolar donde una relación amorosa se desmorona lentamente, revelando el deterioro emocional a través de las cartas cada vez más distantes del amante.
-La lapa (The Limpet): Dilly, una mujer que se define por su deseo de ayudar a los demás, acaba siendo manipulada por quienes la rodean. Sin embargo, la historia revela que ella no es tan inocente como parece, cuestionando las motivaciones detrás de la ayuda desinteresada.
July 17, 2022
du Maurier's talent as a writer, especially of literary suspense, is evident in this collection, but its themes and impact fall short of their promise. The titular story is apparently an early dalliance with characters and themes that she would later develop into full bloom in novel form, but here the reveal just wasn't particularly compelling or well-connected to the story's opening. My favorite story of the set, "East Wind", opens the collection; I've excerpted its gorgeous beginning at my old blog. From these two pages "East Wind" could have gone nearly anywhere and dealt with almost anything, but alas, it lapses into rather predictable marital horror with highly questionable undertones of the "noble savage" trope for theme.
I recommend skipping this collection, unless you're making an academic study of du Maurier. Sometimes, it's alright if stories stay lost... even when the author's famous.
I recommend skipping this collection, unless you're making an academic study of du Maurier. Sometimes, it's alright if stories stay lost... even when the author's famous.
January 12, 2012
I adore a well written short story more than I do the same writing in novel form. The skill needed to tell a finely honed story in such a small amount of space, when down well, never fails to impress me. This collection of thirteen stories blew me away, every single one of them made me laugh, shudder, and stare in amazement once I was done.
I don't know what to type next or even what to say if someone were to ask me about this one. I think I would just stand there, tongue-tied, unable to fully express the way these stories made me feel. I would find myself being both fascinated and horrified at the same time. I don't even know which story to start with, because for me there wasn't one of them that failed to impress me.
The title story, "The Doll", is one that because of the subject matter will never leave my brain. Rebecca and her doll will wander the corridors of my brain, doing things that I never even dreamed of, let alone want to do. The young lady in "The Tame Cat" who comes home after years at school, only to be caught up in a web of jealousy involving her mother and her mother's lover, will find a a few brain cells to move into and set up permanent residency. "Maize" and her fellow prostitutes forced to live in dreams and get back alley abortions, are frozen in time right behind my optic nerves. The manipulative harridan of "The Limpet" who just can't seem to understand why nobody loves her, made me pity and hate her at the same time. She has now whispers in my ear anytime she needs to whine about how unfair life is.
I had only just read Rebecca for the first time a month or so ago, and Daphne du Maurier blew me away with her lushness of style. With these thirteen short stories, she is cemented in my brain as someone who I need to read more of, and I don't think I'll ever be disappointed.
I don't know what to type next or even what to say if someone were to ask me about this one. I think I would just stand there, tongue-tied, unable to fully express the way these stories made me feel. I would find myself being both fascinated and horrified at the same time. I don't even know which story to start with, because for me there wasn't one of them that failed to impress me.
The title story, "The Doll", is one that because of the subject matter will never leave my brain. Rebecca and her doll will wander the corridors of my brain, doing things that I never even dreamed of, let alone want to do. The young lady in "The Tame Cat" who comes home after years at school, only to be caught up in a web of jealousy involving her mother and her mother's lover, will find a a few brain cells to move into and set up permanent residency. "Maize" and her fellow prostitutes forced to live in dreams and get back alley abortions, are frozen in time right behind my optic nerves. The manipulative harridan of "The Limpet" who just can't seem to understand why nobody loves her, made me pity and hate her at the same time. She has now whispers in my ear anytime she needs to whine about how unfair life is.
I had only just read Rebecca for the first time a month or so ago, and Daphne du Maurier blew me away with her lushness of style. With these thirteen short stories, she is cemented in my brain as someone who I need to read more of, and I don't think I'll ever be disappointed.
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