Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre [Hardcover]

Daphne Du Maurier (Author), Michael Foreman (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (October 21, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385243022
• ISBN-13: 978-0385243025
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eerie...Creepy...Great Stuff!, June 27, 2001

By 

Jon G. Jackson "j_dog_jackson" (Santa Rosa, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre (Hardcover)

Daphne du Maurier was a favorite of the late great Alfred Hitchcock. Most famous, perhaps, for her psychologically intense novels (e.g., REBECCA), her short stories often rose even more to the level of true masterpiece. This book contains six of these, made ever more atmospheric by Michael Foreman's wonderfully unsettling watercolors. It's a perfect combination. Du Maurier's tales are a kind of literary level Twilight Zone. Included in this collection is the all-time classic "The Birds," though the others (every one) are equally as good. If you've never read the original story, "The Birds" offers an additional treat in that we're able to see both du Maurier's own gift of imagination AND Hitchcock's ability to adapt and change a story in creating a film. This book is a treat on both the verbal and non-verbal levels. And, since all great writing is (ironically) about creating an essentially non-verbal experience, this book is a success. Check it out!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spooky and suspenseful, October 14, 2010

By 

YA book lover - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre (Hardcover)

"Classics of the Macabre" is a collection of the (supposedly) Daphne du Maurier's best short stories packaged very nicely - multiple colored illustrations, gorgeous paper. As far as such collections go, it is very strong. Although the stories are satisfying to various degrees, all of them are equally spooky and suspenseful. I am amazed how well du Maurier laces her stories with so much thrill and foreboding.

My favorite in the bunch is definitely "The Birds." Having never watched Hitchcock's movie adaptation, I do not know how the two mediums compare, but this apocalyptic story about birds suddenly turning on people is thrilling and scary in a Stephen King way.

Close second favorite is "The Apple Tree" about a man who one day sees an apple tree in his garden which strongly reminds him of his recently deceased nagging wife. Love how the perception of the dead wife changes throughout the book and how the apple tree embodies her essence.

"Don't Look Now" is very strong as well. A husband and wife are taking a vacation in Venice after the death of their daughter. They come across a couple of weird old ladies who tell them that their dead daughter wants them to leave Venice immediately or something bad is bound to happen. My favorite part of the story is that it raises an interesting question: can we actually change the course of our destinies?

The other three stories are a little weaker. In "The Blue Lenses" after an eye operation a patient suddenly starts seeing people around her as animals. In "The Alibi" a man decides to spice up his boring life by ... killing somebody. And finally, my least favorite story "Not After Midnight" about a man who acquires a mysterious malady after taking a vacation in Greece and encountering a strange American couple there. This story basically over-promises in terms of suspense but under-delivers in terms of resolution.

Even though the stories are not all equally good, they maintain a pretty consistent high quality. On the other hand, I was not at all impressed by illustrations.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daphne Du Maurier's Classics of the MacAbre, August 27, 2005

By 

Karen Frank "KOF" (Highlands Ranch, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre (Hardcover)

I read this book as a teenager and loved the strange stories. I only rediscovered that I wanted to read it again is because of the Johnny Depp movie "Netherland" The "Sylvia", Peter Pan's mother in Netherland story is a close relative of Daphne Du Maurier's. Probably Sylvia's niece. I can't currently recommend since I read the book 25 years ago, but I still remember the stories. I'm buying it again.