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The House on the Strand Daphne Du Maurier 9781844080427 Books

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The House on the Strand Daphne Du Maurier 9781844080427 Books

As a fan of Daphne du Maurier I'm always inclined to give at least 4 stars but that said, I've yet to read a book of hers that I've not enjoyed or wasn't well written. I'm always amazed at how she can seamlessly combine different eras in time that at the outset of the book I think she won't be able to do. I think what I enjoy most about her writing is that the characters come completely alive to the point that you almost feel they are in the same room as you. This story is about a man who takes an experimental drug and goes back in time, As the story progresses, his addiction increases and the side effects become more apparent. He just has to keep going back one more time to find out what happened next! He wants to live more in the other world than the real world and sometimes confuses the two which is obviously having a negative effect on the people around him - a fairly typical story of addiction I should imagine. The problem is that even though the reader can see what's happening and want him to stop we too want him to go back to find out what happens next! We don't get to know Dick's wife or step-sons very well but I get the impression they are good people and if Dick wasn't so addicted to his other life he could give the marriage a chance and be happy. One problem I had with this book is that lots of the characters had similar names (or the same) and I had to keep going back to work out who was who. Could really have done with the x-ray function on Kindle on this one.


Tags : The House on the Strand [Daphne Du Maurier] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Dick Young is lent a house in Cornwall by his friend Professor Magnus Lane. During his stay he agrees to serve as a guinea pig for a new drug that Magnus has discovered in his biochemical researches.<BR><BR>The effect of this drug is to transport Dick from the house at Kilmarth to the Cornwall of the 14th century. There,Daphne Du Maurier,The House on the Strand,Time Warner Books Uk,1844080420,Classic fiction,Modern fiction,Literature: Classics

The House on the Strand Daphne Du Maurier 9781844080427 Books Reviews

This book is not so much a story of time travel, but more an exploration of the perils of drug addiction, especially when you are already a little dissatisfied with reality and looking for escape. The narrator, Dick, is an insipid character who doesn't seem to have much enthusiasm for his wife, his stepsons or his career - the only person who inspires and motivates him is his childhood friend Magnus. Magnus invites Dick to stay for free in a Cornish cottage, asking in return for Dick to drink a little out of Bottle A in the basement and report back on what happens. Dick is exactly the kind of person to agree to something like this, even while he stubbornly refuses when his wife asks him to get a job or at least choose a holiday that suits the entire family.
Bottle A transports Dick 600 years back in time, even though he technically stays in the same location, silently observing the local events of the 14th century. In a physical sense he is hallucinating - he sees the 14th century landscape while he navigates the 20th century landscape, so he is in constant danger, if he thinks he is in a field, but he's actually wandering across a road.
In the 14th century he becomes captivated by the tragic friendship of Roger and Isolde, so he wants to keep coming back to see what happens next. As the story alternates between the 14th and the 20th century, the really interesting part of the story is Dick's increasing detachment from his real life - he is irritated by the presence of his wife and her sons, and constantly looks for opportunities to escape back into the past. The drug has an increasingly addictive hold over him, and he doesn't sufficiently concern himself with the possible side effects. Meanwhile his wife Vita is alarmed and suspicious by his increasingly bizarre behaviour - is he having an affair? Is he drinking heavily? - and it takes a terrifying event for them to seek the help he really needs.
Unlike Dick, I found the modern story more engaging and interesting than the 14th century story, which was harder to follow, with multiple minor characters and stretched out over a longer period of time. Dick was truly a man who could not cope with reality - even if his life had the potential to be quite pleasant and enriching - so he chose drugs as an escape without seriously considering the consequences. Perhaps beyond the last chapter of the book, he had the time to consider that the life he was running away from wasn't so bad after all.
**3 stars**

I delved into The House on the Strand due to my adoration of Daphne du Maurier's famous novel, Rebecca (one of my all-time favorites) as well as my deep appreciation for her other work, My Cousin Rachel. In addition to reading these masterpieces I would recommend watching both movies which were very well done. In contrast, I had mixed feelings about The House on the Strand.

Dick Young is invited to stay at his friend Magnus Lane’s house in Cornwall for the summer while Magnus, a chemist, is in London. Before Dick’s family arrives, Magnus persuades Dick to act as his guinea pig for a new substance that he claims has the ability to induce time travel. Magnus has tried this himself with only a few unpleasant side effects so what could go wrong?

I presumptuously assumed that because I relished what could be considered Daphne Du Maurier’s two most popular books that I would also love The House on the Strand. Unfortunately that was not the case. While the last 30% of the book was fascinating, I had trouble connecting with Dick’s historic time travel universe. Du Maurier does deserve praise however for the end portion of the novel, which, at times, is just as exciting as Rebecca.

I think the central obstacle that prevented me from enjoying this book more were the restraints placed on the concept of time travel. Time travel is supposed to be unpredictable and fun! So why does the time travel that takes place here need to happen in the confines of the same era every time? Why were certain interactions between Dick and the other historic figures prevented? Why are there so many of these historic figures and why do we even care about them?

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the reason DuMaurier kept returning to the same time period; it enables her to write a story within a story. However, even after finishing the novel I still don’t fully comprehend why she thought this would make for interesting reading. It was as though she spontaneously researched the 14th Century (?) in-depth and decided to clumsily weave it into the plot. Unfortunately, I still have difficulty recalling many of the ye olde characters she referenced because they weren’t memorable. Luckily, the reader can take solace in the fact that even this facet of the book improves towards the end.

What I did like about The House on the Strand, despite the grimace on my face, was the comedy of errors that is Dick’s relationship with his family, particularly his wife. Why are these two even married?? Even in light of these marital problems, I am still left wondering how Isolde able to have this siren-like hold on Dick? It would be like falling in love with a mirage… It is simply not believable. That being said, Dicks’ relationship with his wife provides an interesting juxtaposition to the latent undertones that characterize his relationship with his best friend Magnus.
Do I recommend The House on the Strand? Yes, with some reservations. Don’t expect it to be the next Rebecca or My Cousin Rachel. They are on two entirely different playing fields. Getting through the first half (at least) takes some perseverance. However, the end of the novel was strongly written enough that I was practically yelling in astonishment at the insanity of it all. That my friends is not easily done
As a fan of Daphne du Maurier I'm always inclined to give at least 4 stars but that said, I've yet to read a book of hers that I've not enjoyed or wasn't well written. I'm always amazed at how she can seamlessly combine different eras in time that at the outset of the book I think she won't be able to do. I think what I enjoy most about her writing is that the characters come completely alive to the point that you almost feel they are in the same room as you. This story is about a man who takes an experimental drug and goes back in time, As the story progresses, his addiction increases and the side effects become more apparent. He just has to keep going back one more time to find out what happened next! He wants to live more in the other world than the real world and sometimes confuses the two which is obviously having a negative effect on the people around him - a fairly typical story of addiction I should imagine. The problem is that even though the reader can see what's happening and want him to stop we too want him to go back to find out what happens next! We don't get to know Dick's wife or step-sons very well but I get the impression they are good people and if Dick wasn't so addicted to his other life he could give the marriage a chance and be happy. One problem I had with this book is that lots of the characters had similar names (or the same) and I had to keep going back to work out who was who. Could really have done with the x-ray function on on this one.