Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters

While living in Cornwall, England, I visited Daphne du Maurier' s called the Swiss Cottage, because it looked like a Swiss chalet. The house is located on the River Fowey, near Bodinnick. [across the river from Fowey]. They stayed at the Hotel [We late lunch there]. Daphne du Maurier's son, Kits, lived in the house. . WE took a ride in a fishing boat that was powered by a COAL STOVE down the River Fowey. The book shop in Foye [pronounced FOY] had just about all the book written by Ms. du Maurier and biographies written by others. I was able to check out books in the Saint Coloumb Major, Library. The Biography written by Daphane du Maurier's youngest daughter, Flavia, was very interesting, she wrote that her mother was moody. It is well known that Daphne had a fixation about her son, Kit. Flavia lived west south of Fowey in the village of MOUSEHOLE which is located up on a clift. In the UK many words are not pronounced as they are written, the Village is pronounced MOUSEL.. Like most talented people, Daphne du Maurier was a complex person. Her father was very much in Love with his daughters, especially, Daphne, Daphne was suppose to be the prettier sister; however, I think all the girls were quite pretty. In reading the biographies of Ms. du Maurier, one does not get to read about Her sister's lives. DAPHNE DU MAURIER and HER SISTERS explains why, the sisters were so complicated, One of the reasons they were complicated was their strict parents and their father's obsessions with his daughters. If you enjoy reading about lives of famous people and authors, this book is for you.

This is a 4 star book if you consider the writing style and the thoroughness of the author's research about the DuMaurier sisters. They led rather risqué lives for their time. This was an interesting book, but not a page turner. It basically explored the 3 sister's relationship with their father and his influence on their lives, their resultant, and many, love affairs with both men and women, and their relationship with each other. I am glad that I read this book because of its insight into their lives but I thought it would never end. It just seemed to be a tumbling of affairs, one after another but that is apparently how they lived. I did not know anything about them other than Daphne's novels before I did read this and certainly did not know about the "other sister" Angela nor the painter, Jeanne. . .

I'm a big fan of DuMaurier's and this biography about her and her two sisters fascinated me. She certainly isn't as I'd imagined, while her sisters were two other artists I had not even known existed, even though they had talent and drive and determination of their own. A very interesting study of three sisters brought up in a pampered atmosphere who then go through two world wars, the deaths of many of their loved ones and the struggle to find happiness and success and follow their hearts in a changing world, much of which had baggage from that now not-so-pampered-looking start. Very engaging and enjoyable, every page!

This is a well-researched, thoughtful book that paints a vivid picture of the du Maurier sisters, especially the eldest two. The story is given rich historical context and embedded into the larger historical milieu in which the sisters lived. Dunn does a sound job exposing the interplay between larger forces and individual drives that shaped the sisters' lives. These lives, especially Daphne and Angela's, are viewed through a psychological lens that provides added depth and texture to the exploration. Sensitive material is dealt with in a straightforward, matter of fact way.My central criticism is that the book occasionally suffers from an excess of detail and over-quoting from the sisters' poetry and letters. I definitely enjoyed reading it and would recommend it, but felt that there were sections that dragged a bit.

I love biographies and found this one quite interesting. Who knew the DuMaurier's knew so many people and were so connected to so many events in the 20th century. Being one of three sisters myself it was interesting also to see similarities in sibling positioning and relationships. Enjoyable, easy read.

Since this is a biography, the plot, mood and character questions don't seem to apply when you ask these questions about the book. It is a very extensive portrait of the Du Mauriers so takes a bit of concentration in a quiet place to follow their lives, but it is compelling.

The family dynamics really led to Daphne's development as a writer.

Really great addition to the Du Maurier bio works as very little was every written about the two sisters. Daphne is still the prime interest but it was fascinating to learn about the other two as well. Really good book.

This is a very enjoyable book; a really interesting read; difficult to put down, and is highly recommended. Jane Dunn is a gifted writer - she writes beautifully and intelligently throughout, with a particularly sensitive touch to the lives of three rather extraordinary sisters. The relationship Angela, Daphne and Jeanne had with their theatrical parents - a controlling father (Gerald) and stoney, emotionally detached, mother (Muriel) - and the affect this had on their development from them as children into adulthood, was fascinating, but the attachments and love affairs they had with women was most revealing and insightful. Daphne was her flamboyant father's favorite; Jeanne her mother's, and poor Angela, who was not considered pretty and who lived as second best to Daphne, was constantly overlooked. Of the three sisters, Daphne's writing is best known (Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, The Birds etc), whereas Angela, who had a brief period as an actress, also became a novelist. Jeanne, who had a muddy time growing vegetables in the War, became a painter of some distinction. It is Jane Dunn's warm and gentle approach to revealing the spirit, motivation, and loves of Angela, Daphne and Jeanne that makes this book so enchanting.

An interesting look into the lives of the du Maurier sisters. Fans of Daphne du Maurier will probably find no startlingly new information; but this is a lovely book about the writer, her family and her two sisters, Angela, who was also a writer and Jeanne, a painter. Neither of her sisters achieved the success and accolades that Daphne did with novels such as Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel; nevertheless, they led interesting lives, worth reading about in the context of their famous sister.

Fue un regalo para un seguidor de la escritora

Readers already familiar with Daphne's life won't read much that is new, as this book is rather the summary of a life they already know. Conversely, much of what Dunn unearths about Angela is new, & often interesting - not that Angela was a great writer, but her life, loves, career, moods, viewpoints, etc. are of interest when compared with Daphne's. About Jeanne, readers won't learn much, which Dunn freely confesses. It is interesting, though, to learn more about Jeanne's "agricultural" work during WW2 & her personality. A little bit of editing would have made this book greater. There are a bit too many repeats, & the bio tends to turn into melodramatic story-telling at times. Also what Dunn says about Hitchcock & "Rebecca" is plain wrong, but that covers only half a page. A good book for du Maurier lovers, with certain limitations.

Having not read any previous biographies of the du Mauriers I thoroughly enjoyed nearly two thirds of the book. In fact I found it a real "page turner". Although not born until 1948 life didn't change so dramatically back in those days and I was able to understand many of the emotions felt by Angela. In fact I found much of the writing about the early life and relationships of the sisters somewhat cathartic. Sadly the story seemed to slither away towards the end and although I finished the book I had begun to lose interest. However, the first sixty percent was really fascinating.