Daphne du Maurier herself describes this as the only “romantic” novel she wrote. It does have a lighter story line perhaps than some of her other work but it is still a terrific swashbuckling story and does cover important themes such as the freedom and independence men had while women were constrained by responsibilities and how society felt they should behave. Dona St Columb is a feisty heroine who grabs some excitement and independence while she can, knowing only too well that this can only be shortlived.
September 2009 Guest Editor Emily Barr on Frenchman's Creek by DAPHNE DU MAURIER
Women escaping from their day to day lives is a theme to which I find myself returning again and again. This novel is the ultimate such story, a wildly exciting and utterly engrossing adventure. Since I moved to Cornwall I have been reading Du Maurier again, and concluding that she is not sufficiently appreciated as a fabulous, literary, exciting writer.
A tale of love and adventure from the internationally bestselling author of Rebecca.
'She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN 'One of the last century's most original literary talents' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'A pure, exhilarating adventure story - a swashbuckling tale of exquisite danger and tangled love' JULIE MYERSON
Lady Dona St Columb is tired with the shallowness of life at the Restoration Court. Despite always being at the heart of court intrigue, there is a secret Dona who longs for freedom and honest love, even if it is spiced with danger. She leaves London for Navron, her Cornish estate, seeking peace and solitude. But she finds that Navron is bring used as a base by a pirate - a Frenchman who, like Dona, would gamble his life for a moment's joy. Her passion and thirst for adventure have never been more aroused, and together they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory.