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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Frenchman's Creek and a Great Expectations Confession

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier

Rating:  3 Stars
Source: Purchased

Description:  The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St. Columb to be ripe for any folly, anything to alter the tedium of her days.  But there is another Dona who longs for honest love - even if it is spiced with danger.  It is this Dona who flies London for remote Navron, finding there a hunted pirate.  (from Goodreads)

Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: I've reread Rebecca countless times and The Birds was one of my best books of 2014 even though I will never look at birds the same way again.

My Impression:  Whew this had a slow start.  I was probably about 20 pages in before I was interested at all and even then I wouldn't say I was hooked.  I had a hard time warming up to Dona who was spoiled and bored and looking for entertainment even (or especially) if it came in the form of a French pirate.  I had a hard time connecting with the love story partly because I didn't really like Dona and partly because Dona is married with children and even with the constraints of the time period I just couldn't get past it.  Then there's the whole part of Jean being a pirate/criminal which also didn't quite click with me.  It was interesting to see Dona take a step away from her aristocratic lady of the manor lifestyle and deal with life on a pirate ship but I always stayed detached from the story.  While du Maurier's prose is beautiful to me it felt like it kept me as a distant watcher instead of pulling me in.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes I would but probably more on the strength of Rebecca and The Birds then this one.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Ummm.... I'd recommend the author but probably not this book.

Challenges Met? The Reading Assignment Challenge (May)


And now for my Great Expectations confession:
I read Great Expectations when I was in 9th grade and hated it.  My review would've gone something like this: "Pip complains a lot.  He complains when he's poor, he complains when he's rich, he complains when he's poor again.  He really just can't be happy." I detested the book.  I disliked it so much that when I had to read A Tale of Two Cities a few years later I cheated and went the Cliff Notes route.
When I was making up my Classics Club list last summer I decided it was time to give Great Expectations another try.  After all I don't have a huge amount in common with my 14 year old self and my hair is much better so surely my opinion on books wouldn't be the same.
And it isn't but it is.  My review isn't all that different of the plot itself.  I still don't like Pip and really think he needs a good slap and a change of priorities.  I kind of liked him in the beginning and felt sorry for him but once he comes into money I was pretty much done with him.  He's just incredibly unlikable and I had a hard time having any interest in how his story developed.
But what I appreciated this time around that I didn't get the first time was the beauty of the writing. Dickens turn of phrase is fantastic and I love how easily and effortlessly he sets a scene.  I ended up putting down Great Expectations because I was really close to marching Pip to the Thames and drowning him but this will not be the last Dickens I read.

20 comments:

  1. I loved Rebecca but have never come across Frenchman's Creek. Sounds like this is one I can skip. I never made it past page one in Great Expectations. I remember when my son had to read it in high school. It was torture getting him to finish. You've got me thinking about classics. I need to add one to my summer TBR. I hope you'll join me for a Virtual Book Club on my Facebook page. Ashley's Facebook Page

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    1. I love the idea of a book club! I didn't love The Frenchman's Creek but I love du Mairier's other books. Great Expectations was definitely not a favorite!

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  2. I loved Rebecca and have both My Cousin Rachel and Jamaica Inn on my wish list... not sure why I never added Frenchman's Creek, but I think I'll keep it that way for now.

    Your experience with Great Expectations was fun to read about, too. Some things change while others stay the same, yet we still evolve...

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    1. I do appreciate Dickens more though I'm not a fan of Great Expectations. Yeah Frenchman's Creek didn't do much for me!

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  3. ashamed to say I was not aware of that book by Daphne. By the way, have you read Tatiana de Rosnay's bio of Daphne? Manderley For Ever. on my TBR

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    1. I hadn't heard of the biography but it's definitely on my TBR now!

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  4. Ah, you finally finished Great Expectations! :) Yay, good for you. It's good when someone will stick with a book that is slow for them and they don't love the MC but you have to admit that Dickens is a great writer overall. I used to love him when in high school. Haven't read anything by him since then except a reread of A Christmas Carol a few years ago. Did you ever read A Tale of Two Cities? That was my fave by him.
    I loved Rebecca and I really thought I had read Frenchman's Creek by Du Maurier, but by your blurb now I'm not so sure. Anyway I know I read another by her besides Rebecca, but that one (and the old movie version) are wonderful, still.
    Have a great week and thanks for sharing your updates.

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    1. Well I didn't exactly finish it but I did decide I was finished with it so that counts right?
      I do want to read Tale of Two Cities and Christmas Carol. Hopefully soon!

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  5. So, I think I've shared that I am not much of a classics reader. I really, really am not. And, honestly, I feel I can skip these two. I know. I'm bad. LOL

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  6. I read Frenchman's creek so many years ago that I can only remember it was a historical and there was a pirate in it...

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  7. I was totally surprised at my reaction to Great Expectations as an adult. I loved it - and I completely hated it in high school. I need to try more Dickens. I also really need to re-read Rebecca!

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  8. I don't think I'll be Frenchman's Creek then, I'm not overly impressed by what you had to say about it. I downloaded a free audiobook of Great Expectations on the summer synch program but honestly don't know if I'll ever get around to listening to it. Pip sounds like a pain! LOL at wanting to drown him in the Thames :)

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  9. You've talked about The Birds before and I love that movie, so maybe I should start there with this author. Plus I just wanna read it LOL. As for Great Expectations, I have a feeling I'd have trouble with that one too.

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  10. I haven't read The Birds, and I really should! I read Great Expectations when I was younger for school too, but I don't actually remember much about it. I do like the way Dickens turns a phrase, though, and how readable his works still are today.

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  11. I read Oliver Twist years ago and am probably one of a few who liked it. I've always had a soft spot for Oliver though (love the musical) so that may be why. I do love Dickens' writing and hope to read more by him. I've also read The Christmas Carol, which I just love. If you want to read something short by Dickens and you haven't read that one, I highly recommend it.

    I have yet to read anything by Daphne du Maurier, but someday I hope to read at least Rebecca and Jamaica Inn. I have shied away from Birds--never have seen the movie.

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  12. I tried reading Frenchman's Creek years ago and put it down. So I have to sort of agree with you.

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  13. Actually, I disliked Pip and Estella both - in fact, the whole book has quite a lot of unlikable characters. The one I felt most sympathy for, to be honest (other than Joe, of course), is Magwitch.

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  14. I haven't read this one. I can see why this book didn't grab you by the deception and review you wrote. I have read Rebecca (amazing) and Jamaica Inn. Looking forward to The House on the Strand, just bought it for my Kindle.

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  15. I've yet to read either of these authors. But that's not super surprising as I don't really read many classics.
    It's nice that you gave Great Expectations another go. I've thought about re-reading books I was forced to read well younger and see if my thoughts have changed, but you know haven't really gotten around to that. Maybe the way to go is to try some Dickens or du Maurier via audio.
    Happy reading!
    Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life

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  16. Hmmm, "Frenchman's Creek" sounds so different from her other things - I wonder if it was one of her earlier works? I have yet to read "Great Expectations;" now I'm not so sure I want to.

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