Customer Reviews

Hungry Hill

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Or perhaps I should say "an expectedly good read" as it is by Daphne Du Maurier! I picked this book up in a log cabin in the Adirondacks, it having thoughtfully being left there by a previous vacationer, and couldn't put it down! While at some points in the novel you feel Du Maurier is being an upper-class patrician, there's an ironic twist to the tale that proves a thought-provoking dessert. Following the travails of a wealthy, landed Irish family, the Brodericks, the book is a critique of how the energetic, entrepreneurial founder of the family fortune left a mixed legacy to his descendants. The family's wealth does not leave it immune to the less attractive traits created by nature and nurture nor to the changing times. The story of this compelling clan (and their rivals) is a reminder that, no matter how fortunate, there is a very great limit to the control we have over our destinies.

Far from Du Maurier's best, this multi-generational tale follows the rise and fall of the Brodricks, an Anglo-Irish clan based in the vicinity of Cork (which here masquerades as 'Slane,' not to be confused with the actual Slane situated north of Dublin). 'Copper John,' on the verge of reaping untold wealth from his copper mine on Hungry Hill, is cursed by Morty Donovan, an Irishman whose family was displaced by John Brodrick's English antecedents and who has deeply resented the family ever since. The old curse plays out in a reasonably entertaining chronicle of untimely death, familial misunderstanding, and ultimate destruction in the space of a century, ending in the 1920s at the time of the Irish Civil War. Du Maurier's depiction of the Irish population ("irresponsible . . . their heads full of nothing but dogs and horses," according to Copper John) displays uncomfortable prejudice, and although the Irish are the survivors at the end of her tale, her portrayal of the proud Brodricks as progressives contrasted with the shiftless local folk demonstrates a lack of sympathy for the Irish perspective which strikes the contemporary reader as narrow and dated.

Exquisite period view of our living experience. From the "arranged" to the destined, by choice or by consequence maybe we can never be certain. You can feel the wind in your hair standing overlooking the moor with the smell of the damp earth beneath your soul ... the manor faintly lit by the evening light as you return with the dogs at your feet... the taker or the giver. Fate awaits you... a remarkable story of a generation etched in a time gone by. Daphne du Marier at her finest.

The Brodricks of Clonmere gain great wealth from the power of Hungry Hill that they make into a mine, extracting the copper the mine provides. The Doonovans were the original owners of Clonmere Castle and they resent and curse the Brodricks success. For generations the feud between the two families has been going on and on until it reaches it startling eruption.
This novel is a bit different from other works by Daphne du Maurier, it deals with a large span of time from 1820-1920, and has a large cast of characters none of which are more important than others as they all build on each other and become important as the novel progresses. Romance scenes in this novel are not as huge foundations as they are in her other books like Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, or My Cousin Rachel. The romance that goes on in this book more builds up on other elements of the novel. Even though I found this book to be a little different from some of the other books that I have read by Daphne Du Maurier I still really enjoyed Du Maurier's ability to create a unique cast of characters all of whom has faults but readers can still fall in love with these characters, despite their faults. The only thing I would have liked better in this book would have been more descriptions of the mines or mining lives, to me this was the only part of the novel that I had a hard time imagining or becoming real. I don't think this was the best of Daphne Du Maurier's novels that I have read thus far I still really enjoyed the style because it was different and I thought it showed how versatile she is as an author.

This was a great family saga! This had been sitting on my bookshelf for years. I knew the setting was Ireland so that's why I wanted to read it. I was hoping for more about the history of the times in Ireland, like the potato famine. I found it a little strange that the word "Ireland" was never mentioned in the book. (I think du Maurier had a reason for that.) The first half of the book is better than the second half. At least, I enjoyed those characters more. It's a great book but if I didn't know I never would have guessed du Maurier wrote it. It's nowhere near as good as "Rebecca." (I am a huge fan of "Rebecca.") The descriptions just aren't as good. But, it is a great read, especially if you like family sagas.

A fascinating look at a wealthy family incompassing several generations. A truly remarkable work of fiction. Du Maurier, in my opinion, was one of the best storytellers of the 20th century. Without being overly philisophical she was brilliant in the way she wove a story together, and was almost poetic in her writing technique. The story is never dull and never predictable. A great read. Probably only available in used bookstores.

Du Maurier recounts the lives of several generations of the Brodrick family, landholders in Dunhaven Ireland starting in 1820 when "Copper John" Brodrick cements a deal to start a copper mine at the base of Hungry Hill. John's main priorities are the business and its profits, with little concern for the day to day welfare of the miners and their families - enflaming a long-standing family grudge that leads to a curse on the Brodrick family. The story of the family continues with subsequent generations as Copper John's sons and his grandsons battle to maintain the mines and the family fortune with the fluctuating price of copper and tin, along with their own personal and mental battles. The story finally culminates in 1920 as the last of the line John-Henry returns from the Great War in 1920 to reclaim the family estate and finds himself unwittingly involved in the Irish rebellion with unexpected consequences to him and the family home Clonmere.

Overall, this was quite a good read despite a stereotyped character or two (it was written in the 1940's) and a storyline a bit on the predictable side. While it might not appeal as much to those readers used to Du Maurier's usual fare, i.e. Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel, her writing is superb and understated as always and IMO raises this from a three to a four star read as the reader sees the viewpoint of both the Landholder and the difficulties of the Irish tenants. Still tops with me in multi-generational family sagas is Susan Howatch's Cashelmara- don't miss it.

I received the book in an excellent time. It is in good condition. I am excited to read the book and know it will be a good asset to my library. Thank you so much. I will purchase more from you if you have what I need come to auction.