Daphne DU MAURIER : The loving spirit

 

Janet Coombe longs for adventure and the freedom of the sea. She feels herself pulled fast under its spell, but in her heart she knows she must sacrifice her dreams ; she is a woman and her place in in the home. So she marries Thomas, a boat builder and her restless spirit is passed down through her son, and on to his descendants.

In her acclaimed debut, Daphne du Maurier weaves a compelling tale of heartbreak, courage and love. The loving spirit, an inimitable blend of romance, history and adventure, established her reputation as one of the finest writers of her generation.

 

 

It could fit into my personal Brontë mania reading plans even if it was a surprise, as - it should be expected - Daphne du Maurier loved Emily Brontë. Not only does the novel open with a poem by Emily, but there are other references to her poems and mostly to Wuthering Heights. Even a bit of Dickens, if you think about Scrooge (Philip). I'm not saying it's a retelling, but there is a strong influence here. It also reminded me of one of her short stories that I read in The doll, East wind.

This novel could be divided in two parts : the first with Janet and Joseph, the second with Christopher and Jennifer. It covers basically a century.

The first part began in the early 19th century with the deep longing of Janet for ships, the sea and danger, a taste she passes on without nuance to her beloved son Joseph. I know some people were freaked out by the mother/son relationship which bordered on incestuous, but if you know a little about Daphne and her father Gerald, it won't big a big surprise. It didnt bother me as much as it did other readers, however, they had a kinship, they shared their passion for adventure and the wild open seas, something I can relate to. After all, I'm from Brittany, there were people in my family who were sailors, others that worked in the port of Brest, one of my uncle was in the Navy for some time and I've always felt a deep and abiding love for the sea and sailsboats. Reading this novel, I felt immersed in beautiful landscapes, felt the wind in my hair and on my face and a joy in my heart. As it's situated in Cornwell, there was also a brush of supernatural that blended well with the story.

The second part with Christopher and Jennifer was different. Christopher left for London, a place where Daphne lived for a time and a time that she probably heard about from older people around her as well as read about, of course. There were more dialogues, more humour too, that part felt less passionate at the beginning, but more tangible : Christopher was trying to find his place in life. When Jennifer moved back to Cornwall, as she was in the train and began to see those landscapes again, you could also strongly feel the love that Daphne had for this part of the world.

I loved it so much ! I love this author so much ! I closed this novel with a happy sigh and a heart full of joy. The characters of this family felt alive, each with their differences. The story kept me riveted. Reading this made me want to shout and go back to Brittany, feel the wind on my face, the atmosphere was incredible and everything that I love. I could re-read this many times ! I highly, highly recommend it !

 

"It was as if she had two selves ; the one of a contented wife and mother, who listened to her husband's plans and ceaseless talk of his great business, and laughed at her baby's prattle, and visited her own folk and the neighbours of Plyn, with a real pleasure and enjoyment of the happenings of her daily life ; and another self, remote, untrammelled, triumphant, who stood tiptoe on the hills, mist-hidden from the world, and where the light of the sun shone upon her face, splendid and true."

 

"Why wasn't I born a man ?" she thought. "To be up there now i' the midst of it," and she felt the fact of her sex to be like a chain to her feet, as bad as the hampering petticoats around her ankles."

 

"Never again, he feared, would it know quite the same prosperity it had experiences during his grandfather Thomas and his Uncle Samuel's time. Year by year now the steamships were growing in importance, big clumsy vessels of iron or steel, built for power and not for beauty." 

 

A short 1938 (The loving spirit was published in 1931) video of Fowey, mentioning Gerald du Maurier but not Daphne !