Books by Daphne Du Maurier
“It’s terrifying. Her publisher Victor Gollancz described it as a ‘masterpiece’ and much of that is down to the pacing.” Read more...
The Best Daphne du Maurier Books
Laura Varnam, Literary Scholar
“The dual power and danger of the imagination is a fascination of du Maurier’s. What went wrong with Branwell? Why the brother? He should have had everything in his favour, and yet it was the sisters who became successful. Why?” Read more...
The Best Daphne du Maurier Books
Laura Varnam, Literary Scholar
“For readers who think Du Maurier is all dark Gothic, The Parasites is packed with plenty of wit, both in the narrative voice and in the form of farcical, slapstick humour.” Read more...
The Best Daphne du Maurier Books
Laura Varnam, Literary Scholar
The King's General
by Daphne Du Maurier
In a way reminiscent of Walter Scott, it’s historical romance but in the sense of quests, adventure, rebellion, strong women, and so on. The portrayal of love in some ways in King’s General is probably one of the most emotionally felt. There’s a realism about the relationship between Honor and Richard Grenvile, Honor knows him for who he truly is and doesn’t shy away from his dastardly reputation.
“I was in my later teens when I discovered Daphne du Maurier, an author I still love today. Frenchman’s Creek is usually the obvious romantic choice for young adults, but the book that gripped me most was the dark, gothic and truly scary Jamaica Inn. The way Du Maurier uses setting to create atmosphere and immerse you in the action is fantastic. Bodmin Moor in Cornwall is truly another character in the book – all that mud and sweeping rain…” Read more...
Rachel Hickman recommends the best Novels Set in Wild Places
Rachel Hickman, Children's Author
Rebecca
by Daphne Du Maurier
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. I called in my dream to the lodge-keeper, and had no answer, and peering closer through the rusted spokes of the gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited."
—Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, opening lines
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier's novel of a second wife's jealousy of her predecessor—widely accepted to be a modern classic—was an immediate bestseller on first publication and has since been adapted for the screen several times, most famously by Alfred Hitchcock. To mark the Netflix release of a new adaptation, starring Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas, we spoke to Dr Laura Varnam, lecturer in English literature at University College, Oxford, about what is probably du Maurier's most famous book.
Interviews where books by Daphne Du Maurier were recommended
The Best Classic Thrillers, recommended by Lucy Atkins
Every week, dozens of new thrillers appear in bookshops. But, often, the classic ones are the best of all. If you haven’t read any of these five yet, you have a treat in store—recommended by British novelist Lucy Atkins, author of the brilliant Magpie Lane.
Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature
Love and marriage may go together like a horse and carriage, but what happens when the horses are spooked and the whole procession is run off the road? Katie Kitamura, whose new novel A Separation charts the disastrous—and tragic—failure of a marriage, considers some of literature’s most heartfelt accounts of relationship failure
Favourite Thrillers, recommended by Tess Gerritsen
A good thriller isn’t about the violence or bloodshed, it’s about making the reader feel off-balance and as if something isn’t quite right, says bestselling author Tess Gerritsen. She tells us about her own favourite thrillers.
Rachel Hickman recommends the best Novels Set in Wild Places
Rachel Hickman, co-founder of Chicken House Publishing and author of One Silver Summer, selects books with wild settings that have appeal to older children. She discusses how a strong use of nature adds drama and meaning to a narrative, and the way that setting can become another character in a story.
The Best Daphne du Maurier Books, recommended by Laura Varnam
Daphne du Maurier is one of the most overlooked writers of the twentieth century, says Oxford University’s Laura Varnam. As her best known-work, Rebecca, continues to attract new movie adaptations and du Maurier enjoys a critical renaissance, Varnam explores the books which highlight this novelist’s sheer range and brilliance—from biography and fiction to history and horror.
