I always muddle Daphne Du Maurier with Agatha Christie, in that they were both middle class women who preferred to write about people instead of talking to them, married military men and had children they didn't really want, and their careers peaked around the 1950s. This biography, written in a novelised format with introductions from the author, only really confirms my confusion! Overall, I still prefer to read Du Maurier's novels, and might have to hunt down some of the lesser known titles.

Tatiana de Rosnay takes some of her more 'modern' interpretations of Du Maurier from the controversial Margaret Forster biography, claiming that the author of Rebecca was bisexual, but I don't see a problem with that. And with a father like the creepy Gerald Du Maurier, is there any wonder that two of his daughters were gay and the most famous of the three also fell in love with women? Although written in a fictionalised format, de Rosnay has obviously done her research and mentions a journal given to the executor of Du Maurier's estate with a fifty year closure period, but even without that tantalising document, we still have Daphne's own words.

My favourite novel is Rebecca, which came to haunt Du Maurier like the eponymous character haunted Manderley, but I also enjoyed The Glass Blowers, based on her French ancestors, during my F-Rev obsession, which would probably have narked Daphne: 'I hate the idea of it being put into a garish yellow cover and boosted as the story of a Revolution, which only comes into the middle part. It's the story of a family, plain and simple.'

Tatiana de Rosnay's approach to writing about Daphne Du Maurier is very fitting, being both straight and true, with insight into human nature, yet also heartfelt and touching in places. The final chapter, which was perhaps a tad drawn out, really got to me:

The dreamer is all powerful: her gaze is a coloured kaleidoscope that snubs the present: that poor body stretched out on the sheets, that clinging fog that has been suffocating her for the last ten years. The long black ribbon comes loose, releasing her bound hands. ... It is impossible to imprison a dreamer, because a dreamer can walk through walls, unlock doors, cast aside the weight of years. The dreamer can do anything - Kicky whispered it to her. The dreamer is free. ( )

I didn't find the beginning all that riveting, but it got better, however I gave it up at 9/13.

The narrator is Charlotte Wright. She is ridiculously overdone in the early chapters, but it improves and I got used to her. She's a brilliant reader, just not my cup of tea. ( )

This was a slightly disappointing biography of Daphne du Maurier. I love Du Maurier's book Rebecca and some of her short stories and was looking forward to learning more about the author. Her early life was rather privileged and glamorous and quite a bit of time is spent on this portion of her life. Life after her marriage to Frederick Browning was not so interesting and later in life she was quite reclusive. She spent most of her life in her beloved Cornwall. ( )

Perfection! ( )

Interesting, containing facts and opinions one is not likely to find elsewhere. More homage than biography the book primarily highlights the author's admiration for Du Maurier. Both the subject of this biography and her author grandfather are reflected in de Rosnay's fiction style with the emphasis on place, especially Paris. I found the method of explaining the "Du Maurier code words" as the reference in the back of the book annoying, especially the omission. ( )