Customer Reviews

Frenchman's Creek

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anyone who feels trapped in a mid-life crisis or just a plain old stagnant existence for a seemingly unendurable amount of time will empathize with Du Maurier's bored and beautiful Dona St. Columb and enjoy her exploits with the man of her escapist dreams, Jean, the pirate master of La Mouette. While the adventure excites and the romance titillates, Du Maurier manages, quite subtly to explore the timeless themes of true freedom versus responsibility and the changing nature of love from its first incendiary spark to the mellow flame of comfortable love of long-time partners.

Do yourself a favor and skip Du Maurier's first chapter---don't get discouraged by it, it is merely a ploy used by the author to suggest the timeless quality of love that lingers off the coast of Cornwall even to the modern day---read this chapter over again after you finish the book and it will lose its old fashioned storyteller's introduction and emit the haunting ghostlike ambiance it was meant to suggest.

Rather than look at this as the tale of an adultress as one of the other reviewers strongly points out, imagine Dona as confused, not yet content enough to live out her days with Harry, the children and the dogs until she has found her own identity and come to terms with who and what she is.

I imagine Du Maurier herself, having such questions whirl around in her own mind as she spun her tales at Menabilly--basically alone in the country while her husband was at war. The adventure of Dona St. Columb speaks of Du Maurier's own sense of restlessness and universally allows all of us to freely associate and commiserate. All of the Du Maurier heroines are trapped in worlds where they are dependent on their strong males counterparts. Du Maurier's portrayals suggest her view of woman's vantage point a dismal one---woman acquiesce; they only find a life when they do.

This is a wonderful story of a young wife who transforms from child to woman in less than 300 pages. She becomes a boy to experience the ultimate freedom that she will never have as a woman. At the end she must return to her her trap, content or discontent to know her place as a woman. I have read 'Frenchman's Creek' and listened to it at least ten times, always taking from it something new as my own life develops. Highly recommended as a real classic romance.

Rebecca was good. Jamaica Inn was okay. But Frenchman's Creek was great! Du Maurier really outdid herself. She took the heart of a woman and made it plain. What romantic wouldn't like this story? Pirates, adventure, philosophy and romance....better than those frilly romance books nowadays. Dona went on a quest and fulfilled it. The first chapter is boring---skip it; I put it down for a time because I was unimpressed. But it is really good. I read parts of it to people as they were working (while I joyfully read) and they kept asking, "what happened next?" Every time I would give a little giggle of glee. This is really good. Rebecca and Jamaica Inn are "dark" novels; but this is an exploration into a womans mind. I comprehend and adore Ms. Dumaurier! Another good writer found!

Although I am not a fan of Harlequin novels, I am a loyal fan of John Castle. I sought out this novel specifically because he is the reader. The novel is set in Cornwall in the 1700's -- a bored, lonely Lady St. Columb flees city life with her two children and nanny to the country house where she and her husband honeymooned 7 years before. She stumbles upon the hideout of a French pirate who has been plundering her neighbors. She disguises herself as a cabin boy and joins in the fun, outwitting her stuffy neighbors and husband, falling in love with the scoundrel, and saving his life before he is hanged for his bad deeds.

Being from a blue-collar working class American family, the custom of having servants is foreign to me. I couldn't understand why this country house, which sat vacant for 7 years, was still staffed with a butler, groom, and gardener.

This novel is beautifully read by Mr. Castle, whose change in voice and inflection clearly lets you know which character is talking. He kindly refrains from talking in falsetto for Lady St. Columb! The graphic descriptions of the countryside, the languid pace, and the soliloquies make this an ideal companion for a summer vacation or trip to the shore. It's a refreshing change from the internet abbreviations and shorthand which are becoming standard in writing today. I loved this audiobook and plan to listen to it again and again.

This novel was made into a movie in about 1944. Why doesn't someone do a re-make of this? Antonio Banderas would be ideal for the pirate; Kate Winslet for Lady St. Columb. I'll stand in line for a ticket for this one!

If you like historical romances and can enjoy one even if it lacks the "sensuality" found in the historical romance novels typically sold today, you'll likely enjoy this story.

Set in the 17th century, this story is basically about a wealthy, bored housewife and mother (Lady St. Columb) who finds herself falling out of love with her husband and wanting a change from the life she is living, or in her mind merely "existing". Although her husband adores her, realizing she needs a break from him and their surroundings, she leaves him "for a visit" to their Cornwall estate. With her kids in tow, she expects nothing more than some peace and quiet. What she finds is a ship moored just off her property, and a mysterious but intriguing man that makes her laugh and feel more alive than she has in a while.

When she later learns that he's a pirate, the damage has been done; her attraction to him is too strong to end their friendship and budding relationship. And to make matters worse, he's equally attracted to her.

What follows is a bittersweet love affair that is hampered by the fact that she's a wife and mother with responsibilities. As if those weren't issues enough to deal with, she's also surrounded by nosey neighbors and other acquaintenances who are quite content to try and mind her business, and eventually through their actions, threaten her happiness and even her life.

While this story lacked the "fire" and excitement I was expecting, it was nonetheless a good read. Don't expect to be plunged into a whirlwind romance with a young, beautiful virgin being chased by the man she happens to captivate in a flurry of action. Expect instead, to find two mature people who know what they want out of life and who develop a relationship based upon mutual attraction and friendship, that simmers and builds slowly. There is some sensuality in the book, but it's subdued by today's standards.

In this story, you will find romance, some action, and an atmosphere that contributes to a feeling of "being there" in 17th century England and experiencing a part of what life would be like for a titled woman, and a pirate. It's an interesting, bittersweet story that had my emotions on a rollercoaster as the two individuals were forced to make hard decisions about their directions in life.

There wasn't much I didn't like about this book but if I had to pick something, it would be that in a few spots the pace was just a tad slow, and the fact that I happen to like the "fiery" (okay, real sensuous) historical romances of today. While a little more fire would have been nice, this book was satisfying nonetheless because the story is well told. I would recommend it.

This has become my favorite book of all times. I saw the PBS movie version first and just had to read the book-- and it's ten times better than the movie! Romantic, full of adventure, and has some exciting history too. I can read this book over and over and over, and never get tired of it. The ending is so great, and Du Maurier has done an excellent job. It is most definitely her best book ever-- I enjoy it as much if not more than Rebecca.

This novel immensely appealed to me. The story flowed really well. The word choice was excellent. And it was an excellent insight about how women often fell. The reality of the situation transcends time. And who wouldn't want to break out of the motherly mode with a pirate. The Frenchman was an awesome incarnation of the free spirit. And yet her choice reflects the way true women weigh responsibility and selfish action. This was excellent!

My tastes in books and music vary wildly, but this book has been a favorite since I first read it at 13 (20-ish years ago.) The pirate is a perfect symbol for the "lawlessness" of love; love does not follow rules and boundaries imposed upon it by our social conventions. It is primal and magic, and creeps silently and unexpectedly up to our shorelines in the dead of night.

I am a Du Maurier fan. I have read almost all of her novels and short stories. I don't know why people say this is not as good as Rebecca. I found the Frenchman's creek as enjoyable as Rebecca or even more so. As in all her stories I found myself living every moment of Dona St. Columb's adventure. I would read it again and again.

I would like to agree with TLorrie and say that this has been one of my favorite romance novels through the years. It was a very, very romantic book but without the x rated sex and language. I wanted so much to read it again. I've read it 3 times over the last 20 years.

Despite some very lame attempts at movie versions of Frenchman's Creek over the years - this really is du Maurier's finest writing. With a quiet dignity lacking in her more melodramatic novels (such as Rebecca) du Maurier builds a love story in the 17th century that resonates with anyone today who finds their life unfulfilled or caged. Part of the reason that any film adaption of this novel has failed is because the plot on its own can feel silly and dated. What makes this novel such a work of depth is du Maurier's writing style itself. In du Maurier's expert hands Dona, rather than being merely a pretty, bored, silly aristocrat is believably a complex and sympathetic heroine. If many of the top "romance" writers of today were to attempt to tell the same story it would be just another swashbuckler happy-ending piece of literature debris. Du Maurier instead takes a pirate historical romance and bends it into a quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece.