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basil_touche's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I enjoyed the atmosphere and mystery in the first half of the book, but the later half really dragged on and meandered in parts. The fact that this book is well known for smuggling and wreckers but in reality features very little of it was very disappointing.
The main twist was incredibly predictable & how the narrative described the villain seemed a tad ableist to me. With that, the final act didn't live up to the build up the book was trying to create and went out with a wimper. I found it very difficult to make it through the last 100 pages or so, and I lost count over how many times the moors were described. It seemed as though the description took over the narrative for large chunks of it and when the scenery is mostly empty moors it gets repetitive. fast.
The romance was so lackluster as well, there wasn't enough time spent on it and some of their interactions came off as creepy, so that how it ended(that Mary gives up her hopes of returning home to travel with Jem Merlyn, who very clearly doesn't see her as his equal) annoyed me. Also there's a lot of sexism, I know it's from the 1930s but even for what I've read of Du Maurier's other works there is quite a lot here. Please read Frenchman's Creek by Du Maurier instead if you want to read a good romance by her.
This just wasn't what I was looking for, perhaps I'll have better luck with Rebecca if I want some good gothic literature from her and Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner for a story aboutsmuggling.
The main twist was incredibly predictable & how the narrative described the villain seemed a tad ableist to me. With that, the final act didn't live up to the build up the book was trying to create and went out with a wimper. I found it very difficult to make it through the last 100 pages or so, and I lost count over how many times the moors were described. It seemed as though the description took over the narrative for large chunks of it and when the scenery is mostly empty moors it gets repetitive. fast.
The romance was so lackluster as well, there wasn't enough time spent on it and some of their interactions came off as creepy, so that how it ended
This just wasn't what I was looking for, perhaps I'll have better luck with Rebecca if I want some good gothic literature from her and Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner for a story about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
Minor: Racial slurs and Death of parent
jessthanthree's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, and Classism