The Parasites (Third Printing) [Paperback]

Daphne Du Maurier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1971

Age discoloring and typical edge wear for a "1971". Spine has a few creases and spots. Front and back cover each have a corner crease. Black mark on inside front cover page and page, also last page has a small black mark. Pages 19-22 have a small tear at bottom of page. Library stamp on inside front cover page, no other marks and intact. Ships very quickly and packaged carefully!

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Avon books (1971)
• ISBN-10: 0380000105
• ISBN-13: 978-0380000104
• ASIN: B000T4B07O
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the most exciting, but still a good read, December 4, 2000

By 

M. A. Casey "In Quest of a Good Book" (Saint Marys, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Parasites (Hardcover)

I have to agree with the other reviewer that this book lacked suspense and dark mystery that I found in some of du Maurier's other books. But, I found myself completely involved and interested in the lives of the three siblings. If you enjoy reading period pieces(this one ranging from the 1920's until the late 40's)and reading indepth portrayals of individuals, you will like this book.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I must agree, June 16, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Parasites (Hardcover)

I read Rebecca and adored it - the subtle darkness and drama, the nuances that one only picked up on the second and third readings, the intense yet always likeable characters, the delectable prose...

I hardly even glanced at "Parasites" when I bought it (thankfully, I only spent a dollar at a used bookstore) and eagerly sat down to read it. Two hours later I tossed down the book, feeling depressed and cynical about humanity in general.

This books follows the lives of three siblings, the children of equally self-absorbed actors, who are "parasites." Each one has the capacity for greatness, given their respective talents, but each wastes them on cheap, unnoticeable books, music, and stage plays.

If you're a fan of flashbacks you might like this - their lives in the 20s to 40s are covered over a massive number of pages, after a look at them in the "present" day. But this book hadn't DuMaurier's other books' sparkling prose and intense dialogue, or any of the spinetingling atmosphere that sucks you in.

It also wasn't helped by the fact that the main characters ARE parasites, living off whoever they are nearby. Their whininess and complaints augmented their selfish personas. I spent much of the book wanting to slap them. There don't really seem to be ANY likeable characters, and while I didn't expect the ending, I felt even more depressed when I read what one of the characters did.

I advise you to read "Rebecca" or "Jamaica Inn" for a first book. Had this been my first Du Maurier book, there would have been no second.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All the world's a stage..., June 8, 2009

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CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Parasites (Paperback)

Parasite: an invertebrate animal preying upon the body of another animal.

And that is what Charles thinks of the Delaneys. They have inherited their parents' talents and have done nothing else with their lives. But Charles wasn't specific. Who among the three Delaney children is the parasite? Is it his wife Maria? After all, he knows her better than the rest. And he knows that she is a great actress, so great that she can develop a new personality on cue. And that is precisely her problem. Who is the real Maria? Or is he referring to Niall? Niall is a natural-born talent, a great musician. But his unresolved issues with his mother and his own brooding feelings for his stepsister has stopped him from living his own life. Then there's Celia. Sweet, spinsterish Celia, the only daughter of both Mama and Pappy Delaney (Maria is Pappy's daughter, Neill is Mama's, children borne from a previous relationship). She's the least talented one, not as pretty, and always the mediator. She's also given up on having a husband and children of her own to look after Maria and Charles's kids. She had also looked after her father after her mother died. After Charles's verbal assault, all three of them ponder his meaning, going back to the events that have brought them to where they are today. Are they happy? Could they be anything more than just the Delaneys? Is there a life beyond the entertainment world?

Daphne du Maurier dedicates this novel to "Whom the Caps fit." You soon realize that this story is very personal. Du Maurier's parents were both entertainers, and perhaps that part of her life had left some feelings that ran deep for her. She wrote various memoirs and short stories with this same theme. The Parasites, while not the author's best work, is an entertaining and poignant tale of love and loss. I like the way the author uses a rather interesting second-person narrative. All the reader knows is that one of the three Delaney children is the narrator, but which one? And do we get to find out whom it is? That is all I will reveal on the matter. Suffice it to say that the unique narrative style draws you in from the beginning. Another interesting thing is the relationship between Maria, Neill and Celia -- especially the first two. There is a Cathy and Heathcliff feel to them that is quite noticeable from the start. This is especially clear in Maria's selfishness, their unnatural clinginess toward each other since childhood (Maria used to pick on Neill when they were kids) and Neill's jealousy when Maria meets Charles. Their relationship is not as dark or as morbid as Emily Bronte's couple, but the similarities are there. And that is all the information I will supply. Don't want to go all book club discussion-type on you. You will have to read this magnificent book to know the rest. First published in 1949, The Parasites is a nice, quick read from Du Maurier, falling into a lighter cateogory, somewhere between Frenchman's Creek and The King's General, only that it's contemporary and more poignant. I recommend it.