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Jamaica Inn [Mass Market Paperback]

Daphne Du Maurier
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)

List Price: $7.99
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Book Description

June 1, 1995

The coachman tried to warn her away from the ruined, forbidding place on the rainswept Cornish coast. But young Mary Yellan chose instead to honor her mother's dying request that she join her frightened Aunt Patience and huge, hulking Uncle Joss Merlyn at Jamaica Inn. From her first glimpse on that raw November eve, she could sense the inn's dark power. But never did Mary dream that she would become hopelessly ensnared in the vile, villainous schemes being hatched within its crumbling walls -- or that a handsome, mysterious stranger would so incite her passions ... tempting her to love a man whom she dares not trust.


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Jamaica Inn + My Cousin Rachel + Frenchman's Creek
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jamaica Inn is a true classic. After the death of her mother, Mary Yellan travels to Jamaica Inn on the wild British moors to live with her Aunt Patience. The coachman warns her of the strange happenings there, but Mary is committed to remain at Jamaica Inn. Suddenly, her life is in the hands of strangers: her uncle, Joss Merlyn, whose crude ways repel her; Aunt Patience, who seems mentally unstable and perpetually frightened; and the enigmatic Francis Davey. But most importantly, Mary meets Jem Merlyn, Joss's younger brother, whose kisses make her heart race. Caught up in the danger at this inn of evil repute, Mary must survive murder, mystery, storms, and smugglers before she can build a life with Jem.

About the Author

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) has been called one of the great shapers of popular culture and the modern imagination. Among her more famous works are The Scapegoat, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, and the short story The Birds, all of which were subsequently made into films, the latter three directed by Alfred Hitchcock.


Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (June 1, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380725398
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380725397
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daphne du Maurier was born in 1906 and educated at home and in Paris. She began writing in 1928, and many of her bestselling novels were set in Cornwall, where she lived for most of her life. She was made a DBE in 1969 and died in 1989.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 37 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars This gothic is a classic with good reason August 28, 2004
Format:Mass Market Paperback
JAMAICA INN has been on my "To Be Read" list for many years, so when I found an inexpensive paperback copy, it seemed like fate. Every bit as suspenseful as REBECCA but with a more engaging heroine, it kept me on the edge of my seat almost from the beginning.

Mary Yellan's mother dies, leaving her alone with a farm and no one to help her run it. (Apparently, in 19th century England, it was unthinkable that a 23-year-old woman should simply hire some help and keep the farm.) She sells up and goes to live in a distant county with an aunt she hasn't seen for ten years, but whom she remembers as pretty and vivacious. The aunt Patience she finds, however, is much changed. Now married to an abusive, drunken tyrant, Patience has relinquished her former self and become a cringing, wheedling shadow to her brutal husband. The couple reside at Jamaica Inn, an infamous establishment that respectable travelers have long abandoned.

The situation deteriorates further when inquisitive Mary discovers her uncle is involved in illegal dealings that include murder. Horrified, she stays at Jamaica Inn only for the sake of her aunt, whom she intends to rescue. She's befriended by the sympathetic vicar of a neighboring parish, and by her uncle's handsome brother, Jem, to whom she feels oddly drawn, despite his questionable livelihood as a horse thief.

In true Gothic style, the story hovers on the edges of believability. It doesn't pay to think too much on any one point. Mary displays the obligatory intelligence, pluck and curiosity of the gothic heroine, yet loses her courage and/or her smarts at just the points where her hesitation advances the plot. The villains of the story are pure evil without clear motivations. Jem is the most realistically drawn character.

But they don't write like Daphne DuMaurier anymore. Her richly descriptive style sets you squarely down in the midst of the Cornish moors, makes you see the stark granite rocks, feel the heavy air closing around you. Her pacing is nearly perfect, dragging only in one or two spots where I think she falters in her effort to prolong suspense. The story moves along so briskly that you're almost hypnotized into not noticing the plot's weaknesses. It certainly isn't hard to shuffle them to the back of your mind.

JAMAICA INN is well worth the read, especially if you're feeling a bit weary of "flavor-of-the-month" fiction. In particular, I found Ms. DuMaurier's portrayal of the local squire as a kind-hearted, blustering dullard interesting. I wonder if that was a reflection of current (1936) British attitudes toward the gentry. In a similar vein, the vicar's thoughts on religion must have been provocative at the time.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Jamaica Inn - Daphne du Maurier November 12, 2006
A Kid's Review
Format:Mass Market Paperback
My friend suggested that I read this book. I wasn't counting on it being anything special but wanted to read it to please my friend. I read the book...........WOW! I was so transfixed, my mind was constantly buzzing with anxcity for Mary, fear of Joss and wonder for the next page. These are just a few of words that describe Jamaica Inn: thrilling, unpredictable, fantastic, drastic, fast, flowing, tense, obscene, moving, amazing, open, striking, descriptive, startling, action, exciting, horriffic, pursuing, dramatic, different, changing and enticing.

In Jamaca Inn you can live with the characters, you are part of the book, and you feel for the characters. The book changes mood so easily. A must read.
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47 of 58 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars HELLO? January 3, 2000
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Excuse me miss 17-year-old from the Netherlands but you just gave away the entire plot of the book. Nice going. Thanks. To anyone who wants to read it (luckily I already have) do NOT read the review from the girl from the Netherlands. It will ruin it for you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful, Gothic and overwrought!
In this atmospheric, sinister tale, the main character, Mary, must confront the evil doings of her Uncle-in-Law Joss and find a way to bring him to justice while also sparing her... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Charlene
4.0 out of 5 stars Jamaica Inn
Very unusual novel, this writer has an amazing imagination and is very detailed, you feel like you are the character
Published 20 days ago by JOIE aDKINS
3.0 out of 5 stars Read it once...
I read it first in high school, this time for my book group and it hasn't changed, only I have. I had to remember to read it with different eyes. Read more
Published 1 month ago by NorseGirl
4.0 out of 5 stars A PERIOD PIECE THAT COMES ALIVE
Loved this book. Heavy atmosphere helped along by the brooding moors and the darkness. The characters were heavily drawn - and lit up the page. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rocke Harder
3.0 out of 5 stars too gory for my taste
again when you are expecting to read a happy romance novel and suddenly the action is really graphic violence it leaves you wishing you'd read something else
Published 1 month ago by Diana M Adams MD
5.0 out of 5 stars Daphne du Maurier never fails!
This author has written many books set in Cornwall, the south west corner of England. As with her other successful novels, Jamaica Inn captures the environment at that time of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jenifer Cherry Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars good read
I had no experience with Daphne DuMaurier before this book. She was mentioned in a previous novel I read by another author, and I thought her worth a try. Read more
Published 5 months ago by book worm
4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Gothic Novel
I just re-read this book after a decade, and if anything, I enjoyed it more the second time around. There's no denying the story has flaws, particularly the constant references to... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Francene
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely love this book!
Jamaica Inn is a great book that is full of surprizes and twists and turns. Very suspenseful and a classic. Read more
Published 9 months ago by shopaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars Jamaica Inn
Enjoyed the book immensely. Daphne DuMaurier's descriptions are supberbly detailed so one feels they are present in the area and amongst the characters.
Published 10 months ago by Marjorie
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