Enchanted Cornwall by Daphne Du Maurier is a combination of memoir and a loving remembrance of Cornwall, her physical and spiritual home. Many of her books were set in Cornwall and inspired by the Cornish landscape – Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, etc. She first came to Cornwall with her mother and sisters when she was 13. They purchased a house overlooking Fowey harbour and she learned to love watching the ships come and go from the harbour. She declared that she found herself both as a writer and a person in Cornwall.

Cornwall remained a special place throughout her life. Her first book was shaped by her love of Cornwall and a certain army major loved her book so much that he came to Fowey to meet her. Within 3 months they were engaged. Her writing was definitely influenced by her setting. She describes one of her favorite walks which took her to an empty house set deep in the woods and surrounded by red rhododendrons, this house became the model for Manderley in Rebecca.

Enchanted Cornwall was an enjoyable read both about this author’s life and her thoughts about the places that inspired her but it was the inclusion of so many photographs, both of her family and the countryside that made the book even more special. Along with the photographs are brief excerpts from her novels which gives the reader a clear picture of how DuMaurier used the landscape to develop her stories. Photographs of the moors that inspired Jamaica Inn, the hidden coves and waterways that were used in Frenchman’s Creek and, of course, the beautiful old house that became Manderley in Rebecca and eventually her own home of Menabilly are all included here. Enchanted Cornwall is a book for fans of this author among which I certainly count myself. ( )

I believe this book to be the next best thing to taking a walking tour with Dame Daphne herself. I'm reading this book about seven months following my week-long visit to Fowey, and I'm heartsick with how much I miss it. It has been fun matching photos I took during my week there to photos in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the excerpts of her novels paired with photos of the inspirations of those passages. This book is Daphne's gift to her fans...a legacy of her Cornwall. ( )

this book had many facets?
1. autobiography of daphne 2. photos of cornwall and daphne and family 3. excerpts from novels and short stories and discussions of their writing. ( )