The Scapegoat (Virago Modern Classics)

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There was some building-up towards the end, but, any effect it might have on the story was destroyed by the anti-climactic end.

The language is rich and hugely descriptive – all in a good way – and as the tale gallops along more and more problems seem to crawl out of the woodwork.Memo to myself: don’t be so dismissive of books written before I was born – I can learn much from them and the medicine to cure my phobia is simple enough, seek out my next one PDQ.

There is more than usual of plot, intricate, many faceted, reaching back into a past that the reader discovers along with John, English professor of 16th century French history, single, bored with his lot — and thrust by a strange chance into another's life. Finally, Daphne incorporates "her French ancestry" (Horner 145) by setting the story in France with a majority of French characters.

Daphne Du Maurier, the author of the original novel, had also created difficulties by interfering with the filming and offering complaints at perceived deviations from her original story. This formula delights du Maurier audience because it merit to the human curiosity and gives the reader's a reason to continue. If you have ever read any of Daphne du Maurier’s novels, you will immediately recognize what I mean when I say the narrator here is another of her identity-free individuals. The next morning, John woke in a hotel room, the valise of Count De Gué nearby, a solicitous chauffeur waiting to take “his master” home despite protestations.

It lies somewhere between the two, yet is also an unsettling tale, full of suspense, sometimes even having a dream-like quality. She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. In fact you can see from my review above I was assuming this was the first tine I had laid eyes on this book. One thing I noticed and found surprising is that the book is less gothic than the other novels of hers that I've read ( Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel). This is a truly slick drama, for my money if is truly superior to the previous version, one I saw many years back, this is hugely atmospheric and sincere, but has an air of warmth to it.urn:lcp:scapegoat00duma:epub:22585892-3573-43d8-a60d-fdcd0dab8b25 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier scapegoat00duma Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t8mc9w50s Lccn 57005902 Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.

Within her novel Scapegoat, Daphne du Maurier appears to insert elements from her own life that fit into the family within the story. Anyone that has ever hungered to be a part of a group, but yet always felt as a stranger, will relate to John here.

If only human relationships were straightforward, with little or no difficulties, no web of intricacies to disentangle. If I did feel anything, it was only relief at finishing the book, so I could move on to something more interesting and forget about this bitter disappointment. Chock-a-block full of symbolism, this is a very well thought out plot but I think the less said the better.