Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is my favourite book so I am always a bit anxious when I read anything else by her although I loved My Cousin Rachel. However somebody bought me a lovely boxed set of Du Maurier's novels and I decided to try this one first as I am saving Rebecca for a re-read when I go on holiday.

I have to say that I was not disappointed, unfortunately I hurt my back last week so was forced into a very upright chair with a bag of frozen peas to ease the pain; I couldn't really do much but read and this book was perfect for such an occasion. Once I had started reading I could not put it down and it was finished within two days.

The main character is Lady Dona St Columb- she is beautiful and rebellious and in search of an escape from the courtly life which she has to share with her odious husband. She takes leave to Navron House; the family estate in Cornwall, leaving her husband and her other persona behind. At first Dona is content in enjoying the solitude and playing with her children. Yet everything changes when she accidentally comes across a sailing ship anchored in the hidden creek on the estate; this leads her to an encounter with the enigmatic Captain Jean Aubrey. As the two become close she involves herself in a dangerous plot to steal another ship- exactly the kind of excitement she had been yearning for.

Daphne Du Maurier does what she does best with this book and challenges the reader. On face-value this book could seem like a very typical romance with the lady of the manor falling for the mysterious, dangerous man that she knows full well she should really avoid. However, there is more to it than that; I really struggled with my opinion of Dona throughout the book. Initially I was pleased that she had escaped her annoying husband and then excited when she meets her match in Jean Aubrey but then you are led to question whether she should really have just left her children just so she could go on an adventure. So towards the last few chapters I found myself disliking her a little as I saw her to be selfish yet I still wanted her to have a happy ending. For me though this is what I love about the author; she raises so many issues with such clever subtlety that you know when you have finished that it was not just some soppy romance novel but that you will be thinking about it long after you have turned the last page.

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