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.. .

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'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!

I've never been a big fan of Du Maurier; her writing just never appealed much to me but I was curious about her and her family. Once again, the English don't fail to disappoint with their disfunctional views of what family life should be like. I guess if it wasn't so skewed, they wouldn't have produced so many great writers. It was interesting to find out what their lives were like from children into adulthood but I can't say that they ever really grew up. I'm glad I read about them rather than having them as friends or God forbid, part of my own family.

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.

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.

I would highly recommend this extremely well-researched book to anyone interested in the Du Mauriers. It's a gripping and vivid read, and provides real insight into the lives of a unique and fascinating family.Despite its length (over 400 pages) and the enormous amount of factual information contained in the book, Jane Dunn has brought the Du Maurier sisters alive - I felt nearly as if I'd known them. Whilst Ms. Dunn is clearly sympathetic to the sisters, she doesn't shy away from describing their weaknesses as well as their incredible talents and brave lifestyles and - most importantly - their amazing creativity. Everything is put into the context of the time in which they lived (when attitudes to women were very different).The younger Du Maurier sister, Jeanne, features less in the book than her two older sisters - the author makes reference to limited access to research information about Jeanne. I do hope that, in the future, this situation will change.This book is a wonderful read, and one that inspires the reader to seek out Angela Du Maurier's books, Jeanne's paintings, and to re-read Daphne Du Maurier's work.

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.

This is not a dry biography, it reads more like a memoir drawing you in to their personal world. Daphne, her fathers favoured daughter, Jeanne mothers favourite. The parents dismissive treatment of Angela was heartbreaking to such a sensitive soul and had a profound effect on her life, although she was triumphant in the end. The parents smothering hold on them affected their lives before finally becoming the impetus for them to succeed in their chosen fields. Cornwall had a strong hold on them all. I found it interesting to learn the reasons why Daphne wrote her stories. Highly recommend.

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.

I bought this on the basis of a good review in the Independent and the fact that I liked another book which featured some of the life of Daphne du Maurier. Scholars might need this amount of detail but the pace drags because there is too much repetition of small facts. Despite the minutiae I've yet to find Daphne's attraction.