On a hot sunny day, very reminiscent of the book we were about to discuss, the Book Club met in a shady garden for an al fresco discussion of Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier.
Most of our group really enjoyed this book, despite having some initial reservations. The majority particularly loved the beautiful descriptions of Cornwall as du Maurier writes about the natural world very evocatively.
“When the east wind blows up Helford river the shining waters become troubled and disturbed and the little waves beat angrily upon the sandy shores. The short seas break above the bar at ebb-tide, and the waders fly inland to the mud-flats, their wings skimming the surface, and calling to one another as they go. Only the gulls remain, wheeling and crying above the foam, diving now and again in search of food, their grey feathers glistening with the salt spray.”
However, some felt there was a little too much description before the story really developed.
Most of us enjoyed the love story in the book and the way our heroine, Lady Dona St Columb, kicked against the expected social mores for women of the time. Despite her desire for adventure and to be free, however, the group noticed foreshadowing within the book that Dona possibly wouldn’t be able to abandon her children and run away with her lover, the pirate Jean-Benoit Aubrey.
“you forget…that women are more primitive than men. For a time they will wander, yes, and play at love, and play at adventure. And then, like the birds, they must make their nest. Instinct is too strong for them. Birds build the home they crave, and settle down into it, warm and safe, and have their babies.’
The final quarter was found to be the most enjoyable, even for those who on the whole disliked the book. This is when most of the action takes place, with Dona helping her lover to escape being hung by the rich men he has stolen from.
For some the ending was disappointing and unclear - did Dona run away with her lover or stay with her boring, if amiable, husband and her beloved children? Read the book and see what you think happens next.
All in all a good, swashbuckling, easy-read that has convinced some of our members to try another Daphne du Maurier novel.
The next book to be read will be "The List" by Yomi Adegoke.
This will be discussed on Friday 8th August 2025.