Jamaica Inn

Annotation

A tale of murder, mystery and romance.

Author Biography

Daphne du Maurier, daughter of the famous actor- manager Sir Gerald du Maurier, was born in London and educated at home and in Paris. Most of her novels have been bestsellers and many of them have been made into film. She died in 1989.

Description for Sales People

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Kirkus UK Review

Thrillingly exciting, beautifully written, passionate but never sentimental, Jamaica Inn is perhaps the most accomplished historical romance (in the proper sense of the word) ever written. It is set in early 19th-century Cornwall, at a time when the forces of order are gradually beginning to curb the reckless lawlessness of this wild region. After the death of her mother, Mary Yellan decides to leave her peaceful home in South Cornwall and travel up country to live with her Aunt Patience, who is married to Joss Merlyn, the landlord of the Jamaica Inn. The inn is a wretched place, solitary on the desolate moors between Bodmin and Launceston and shunned by those who pass it, but even more shocking to Mary is the state of her aunt, once a merry pleasure-loving woman but now wasted away by the brutality of her husband. As she tries to make a life for herself in the face of her aunt's pathetic fear and her uncle's contempt and viciousness, Mary begins to realize that Jamaica Inn is the centre of a criminal network stretching the length and breadth of the county, and that she must choose between protecting her aunt and destroying her uncle's evil trade. The story is a gripping one, made much more so by du Maurier's powerful evocation of the landscape it is set in. The bleakness of the moors mirrors Mary's loneliness and the cruelty of Joss Merlyn and his kind, but there is also a wild beauty to them, and an entrancement that begins to take hold of Mary in the same way as her growing attraction to Joss's arrogant horse-thief brother Jem. Natural forces dominate everything, from the harsh wind that sweeps across the tors to the unwilling desire Mary feels for Jem. As the narrative builds to its terrifying conclusion, du Maurier refuses to allow us a conventional happy ending - the imperatives of nature are too strong, and Mary must obey them like the generations before her. (Kirkus UK)

Long Description

AN UNFORGETTABLE STORY OF MURDER, MYSTERY AND PASSION, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA In the bitter November wind, Mary Yellan crosses Bodmin Moor to Jamaica Inn. Her mother's dying wish was that she take refuge there, with her Aunt Patience. But when Mary arrives, the warning of the coachman echoes in her mind: Jamaica Inn has a desolate power, and behind it's crumbling walls Patience is a changed woman, cowering before her brooding, violent husband. When Mary discovers the inn's dark secrets, the truth is more terrifying than anything she could possibly imagine, and she is forced to collude in her uncle's murderous schemes. Against her will, she finds herself powerfully attracted to her uncle's brother, a man she dares not trust.

Promotional "Headline"

• By one of the 20th century's best loved storytellers. * A classic tale of murder, mystery and passion - compare to Wuthering Heights .

Review

'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' Sunday Telegraph 'A true classic' Amazon.com

Review Quote

Jamaica Inn is perhaps the most accomplished historical romance ever written

Product Details