Welcome to Daphne Du Maurier reading week. I started a few days early so I could review at least one book this week. I hope to review The Breaking Point stories tomorrow.
Today would have been Daphne Du Maurier’s birthday – it is also mine. So, it seems appropriate to have a little giveaway in celebration.
I love any excuse to buy books – I’m sure you all know that, so I have bought two new Du Maurier novels that I have enjoyed very much:
Rebecca (1938) Undoubtedly Daphne Du Maurier’s most famous novel. The young Mrs De Winter is haunted by the memory of her husband’s first wife – Rebecca. Having met the handsome Mr De Winter while working as a companion in the South of France, the young new wife accompanies him back to his brooding estate of Manderley. It is a long time since I last read Rebecca – I’ve read it twice – and seen the black and white film. A new Netflix film is currently being talked about on social media with Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers. It’s a wonderful novel, and there must be someone out there who hasn’t read it or needs a nice new copy so they can re-read it.
Rule Britannia (1972) Was Daphne Du Maurier’s final novel – and an interesting one for many reasons. It isn’t her best novel – but I found it very readable and there are some wonderful characters, I’m sure I’ll read it again. In it Du Maurier imagines a Britain moving away from Europe, embarking on an alliance with the US which begins to look rather like a takeover bid. Warning; it is pretty anti-American – but it perhaps that in itself is interesting in what it tells is about Du Maurier’s thoughts at this time.
So, if you fancy winning one of these two books, just drop a comment below – letting me which you would like to win. You can tell me what your favourite Du Maurier novel or collection of stories is so far and whether you are you joining with #DDMreadingweek. Open worldwide – I will use a random name generator to pick a winner on Sunday May 19th.
I have created a Daphne Du Maurier reading week page here – you can use it to drop in your links to your book reviews and Goodreads status updates or other comments about what you’re reading.
Have a lovely week reading Daphne Du Maurier reading week everyone.
heavenali 
Hooray! I’m really looking forward to everyone’s posts this week. I’ll be posting on the Don’t Look Now collection later today.
Wishing you a very happy birthday Ali 🙂
Thank you, Don’t Look Now is such a good collection.
I’d love to win a copy of Rebecca. My favourite Du Maurier is The house on the strand, as I really enjoyed the time travelling element of the novel.
I’m currently reading The House on the Strand it’s excellent
Happy birthday, Ali. I hope it’s packed with bookish treats and maybe a cake or two!
Thank you, I hope so too. ☺️
Happy Birthday, Ali (and how fitting that you share it with one of your favourite authors)! I hope you have a great day, full of lovely treats.
I’m planning to re-read a favourite short story or two, almost certainly from her ‘Don’t Look Now’ collection as it’s fairly close to hand.
Have fun with the reading week – I’m looking forward to seeing what you review! Thanks for the chance to enter your giveaway, very generous of you. I don’t think I have a copy of Rebecca any more, so it would be lovely to have an opportunity to win it.
I hope you enjoy those short stories, I do think Daphne Du Maurier writes a very good short story full of atmosphere.
Many happy returns! I like a lot of the stories in The Breaking Point and look forward to your post. I’d like to win Rule Britannia. Thanks!
Thank you, you’re in the draw.
Good luck! If I am able to find my copy of The House on the Strand I will join in, but it’s not looking so promising right now… ;(
I don’t want to influence you, but I am reading The House on the Strand at the moment and it’s brilliant.
It’s my absolute FAVOURITE of hers! By the bye, there’s an absolutely gorgeous new hardback of Rebecca available now. It’s just as beautiful as it looks on the Site of Shame and, for those of us of a certain age(!) the print is good.
Oh, and happy birthday too! 😀
Thank you.
Happy Birthday! I would love to read Rule Britannia, I am really intrigued by the description.
Thank you ☺️
Happy Birthday Ali, I hope your day includes some little treats as well as the usual day’s work. I hope to be posting as the week progresses on The Loving Spirit and a few DdM-related books associated with that period in her life.
Thank you, have followed your blog so I don’t miss your review. I will be interested in hearing about The Loving Spirit.
Thanks for running this – looking forward to a fun week!
Yay, glad you’re joining us, looking forward to hearing about Julius.
Happy birthday, Daphne, and I wish I had time to take part, Ali!
I’m really keen to read Rule Britannia, as it seems oddly prescient.
No problem. We can’t join in everything.
Oops, wrote Happy Birthday, Daphne and Ali, but then somehow deleted the second part… Hope you have a lovely day!
Ha ha no worries, thank you.
Happy Birthday! I would love to Read Rebecca. Thanks so much, will follow your book club with interest, Debo
Thank you.
I’ve only read Rebecca so far (and watched a couple screen adaptations of it and read the Sally Beauman spin-off novel). #DDMreadingweek is just the nudge I need to read more DDM. I’m reading My Cousin Rachel now and enjoying it loads! So glad already to have joined DDMreadingweek and it’s only day one.
I’d like to win Britannia.
I loved My Cousin Rachel.
[…] Ali!). She is celebrating her birthday, which she shares with Daphne du Maurier, by hosting a DDM reading week. I consider myself to be fairly well-read in general. But even so there are plenty of authors whose […]
Happy Birthday Ali! I have a few reviews lined up for this week.and can’t wait to read everyone else’s reviews. I’d love to win Rule Britannia as I haven’t read it yet.
Great, looking forward to your reviews.
Happy Birthday! I’ll be posting my thoughts on the short story collection The Doll this week and will look forward to seeing what everyone else reads.
Thank you, I’ll look out for your review.
Hope you’ve had a great birthday!
I’ve already posted a review of Don’t Look Now, but I may also find time to read The Parasites this week. It’s been sitting on my shelf unread for years.
I’d love to win a copy of Rule Britannia. I haven’t read it, and it sounds good.
Thank you. I will add your link in later today, when I catch up with the everything. I really want to read The Parasites but won’t get chance this week.
I would love to win Rebecca as I’ve never read any duMaurier and would live to start with her most famous book!
Good plan.
How did I not realise you shared a birthday! OK, OK, I feel I really ought to say I’d like to go in for Rebecca, as it is a little shameful that I’ve never read it or any of hers … !!
Yay, I hoped that you would fancy reading Rebecca, if you don’t win I will lend you a copy.
I’d like to win Rule Britannia.
About to start House on the Strand.
That’s what I’m reading and it’s great.
I’ve only read Rebecca and The Scapegoat so far. Rebecca was a long time ago but The Scapegoat was awesome. I need to read more of hers. Please enter me to win Rule Britannia 🙂 And thank you for hosting this event and this giveaway!
Glad to hear The Scapegoat was so good.
Did you have a second piece of cake for Daphne? I’d say that’s only fair since you’re throwing her a week-long party. Happy birthday week. 🙂
Ha, ha well I had several nice treats so that was good.
Happy birthday — and how nice that you share it with DDM! I’ve just posted a review of The Glass-Blowers and also plan to review Letters From Menabilly. And I’d love to read Rule Britannia, please enter me in the drawing! Thanks again for organizing DDM reading week!
Thank you.
[…] week Ali over at HeavenAli is hosting a Daphne Du Maurier Reading Week. Like most people, my knowledge of Du Maurier is limited to Rebecca. I saw and loved the movie […]
[…] Ali’s Daphne du Maurier reading week is well underway and I’m enjoying reading all the contributions. I have chosen to read the first of Daphne’s novels, The Loving Spirit, one that I’ve been promising myself for a long time. And alongside it I’ve read three other books: […]
[…] left to take part in #DDMreadingweek. Which means you also have two more days to take part in the giveaway I am running […]
It’s been a wonderful week of DDM discovery for me Ali, thank you! I’d love to win the copy of Rule Britannia so thanks also for running such a great giveaway. 🙂
Glad you have been enjoying it.
I read The House on the Strand as a teenager and loved it. I plan to buy a copy to reread.. My Cousin Rachel is my favorite DDM. I’d like to win Rule Britannia. Thank you for the giveaway!
I hope you enjoy your reread of The House on the Strand.
I’d like to win Rule Britannia! Word on the street is that it’s very appropriate– with the whole Brexit debacle.
It does seem oddly appropriate at the moment.
[…] then Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca”. Ali had a du Maurier reading week recently to celebrate their joint birthdays. She had a competition to win a copy of […]
[…] to Ali’s DuMaurier Reading Week last year, I rekindled my love for an author I hadn’t read for years. This is one I […]