A review by tjwallace04
Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 "Frenchman's Creek" is only the second book I have ever read by Daphne du Maurier. "Rebecca" is a longtime favorite. And I guess it would be hard for anything to live up to "Rebecca," but I was a little disappointed with "Frenchman's Creek." It is super atmospheric - historic pirate vibes out the wazoo. But it has a long, slow exposition that got a little tedious, and the dialogue often felt very flat. (If I had to hear "Yes, my lady" one more time...) The FMC Dona kind of annoyed me. She is plucky but selfish. I kept thinking that Dona was actually a lot like Rebecca - beautiful, brave, beloved by all the men, unfaithful to her husband, false to those around her, but in this book, Dona is the heroine, not the villain. 🤷‍♀️ I just didn't really connect to her.

My favorite part of the book was the ambiguous ending. It was kind of fun not knowing what happened to this romance, which to me was kind of a yawn. The lack of resolution was the most exciting part about it!