Daphne Du Maurier

Classic horror stories by one of masters of the form. Full of bone-chilling tales, this collection includes "The Birds," the basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same title, and other creepy classics. Daphne du Maurier wrote some of the most compelling and creepy novels of the twentieth century. In books like Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn she transformed the small dramas of everyday life--love, grief, jealousy--into the stuff of nightmares. Less known, though no less powerful, are her short stories, in which she gave free rein to her imagination in narratives of unflagging suspense. Patrick McGrath's revelatory new selection of du Maurier's stories shows her at her most chilling and most psychologically astute: a dead child reappears in the alleyways of Venice; routine eye surgery reveals the beast within to a meek housewife; nature revolts against man's abuse by turning a benign species into an annihilating force; a dalliance with a beautiful stranger offers something more dangerous than a broken heart. McGrath draws on the whole of du Maurier's long career and includes surprising discoveries together with famous stories like "The Birds." Don't Look Now is a perfect introduction to a peerless storyteller.

Stories

Don't Look Now

The title story is a supernatural tale involving a British couple on holiday in Venice to escape the pain of their young daughter's recent death. An encounter with two sisters in a cafe, and the blind one's claim that she can 'see' the deceased child sitting with her parents, launches a series of events that ends violently. Previous ed: 1981.

Don't Look Now and Other Stories

1. The breakthrough
2. A borderline case 
3. Don't look now 
4. Not after midnight 
5. The way of the cross

Sarah Sammis

Don't Look Now: The book starts of strongly with a perfect mixture of humor, horror and irony. I can see why Hitchcock liked to use du Maurier's works for his movies. A husband and wife recovering from the recent death of their daughter have gone on a well needed holiday to Italy while their remaining child is away at school. A brief joking encounter with a pair of elderly sisters leads the couple into a nightmarish finish to their trip.

One of the sisters claims to be psychic. She says their little girl is with them always and wants to protect them. Here though is where the story picks up pace and I dare not say more to spoil an excellent ending. The ending though had an excellent pay-off that made me feel both sorry for the main characters and had me laughing.

The Breakthrough: This story mixes the occult with science. A young man and self proclaimed loner takes on a new job at what he thinks is a small military installation. While there he witnesses some bizarre medical experiments. While it was fun to read, it didn't hit with the same sort of punch as "Don't Look Now." The ending left me wanting more.

Not After Midnight: Of all the stories this was my second favorite. It is told in an extended flashback as a confession from a man who suffered a nervous breakdown while on holiday in Greece. The ambiguous ending made the story for me: either the protagonist was cursed or guilt has gotten the best of him. Either ending is satisfactory. If I were a English or literature teacher, I would assign "Not After Midnight" for an essay assignment.

A Border-Line Case: This story reminded me of the Avenger's episode: "What the Butler Saw" mixed with the finale of Remington Steele ("Steeled with a Kiss") with a light dash of Puckoon for flavoring. The IRA bit of the story felt contrived as if the only reason to ever have a story set in Ireland is to have an IRA plot. This otherwise eccentric and fun story doesn't need to IRA piece to make it either interesting or entertaining.

The Way of the Cross: The book ends with a short story reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun without the murder or mayhem. Instead we have Robin who is in the same vein of character as Ramses (a proto-Ramses since this story was written in 1971) who hopes to witness the second coming of Christ. There are no twists in the plot or the humor of the earlier stories. It's just a dull bus strip through Jerusalem.

Over all I enjoyed this collection of short stories but the book would have been better without the final story. It was a nice way to start of my participation in the Classics Challenge.

'Now, ill-lit, almost in darkness, the windows of the houses shuttered, the water dank, the scene appeared altogether different, neglected, poor, and the long narrow boots moored to the slippery steps of cellar entrances looked like coffins.' A slow-burning masterpiece of horror recounting a grieving couple's fateful visit to Venice, Don't Look Now is accompanied here by further short tales of desire and dread. Ten new titles in the colourful, small-format, portable new Pocket Penguins series

Laura Mauler

These short stories have a very different feel than du Maurier's "Rebecca", which is her most famous book (I'm pretty sure). At first I was surprised - subconsciously I had expected them to be in the same style - but then I was pleased because these stories are able to stand on their own, without needing the same pattern as "Rebecca" to make them exciting. Each story branches off into unexpected places, such as technology and mythology, but the collection works together smoothly and doesn't feel jarring when you move between stories.

Geoffrey Froggatt

John and Laura have come to Venice to try and escape the pain of their young daughter's death. But when they encounter two old women who claim to have second sight, they find that instead of laying their ghosts to rest they become caught up in a train of increasingly strange and violent events. I’ve always said that short stories and novellas often struggle to balance telling a good story and making the reader care all in a short amount of time, and I feel like this story did a great job of it by simply allowing us time to feel for the characters in the mundane. Much of this story is the day to day experiences of a couple in Venice, both trying to escape their grief only to find themselves consumed by it. I think the final twist isn’t politically correct and kind of in poor taste, but it is unique. I ultimately wanted more from this, but I still liked what I got. I liked the aspect of the twins and the psychic element, but I felt like it didn’t come together well for me in the end. Overall, a good little short story with a great atmosphere, although I think your mileage may vary when reading this story.

Daphne du Maurier

A married couple on holiday in Venice are caught up in a sinister series of events. A lonely schoolmaster is impelled to investigate a mysterious American couple. A young woman loses her cool when she confronts her father's old friend on a lonely island. A party of British pilgrims meet strange phenomena and possible disaster in the Holy Land. A scientist abandons his scruples while trying to tap the energy of the dying mind. Collecting five stories of mystery and slow, creeping horror, Daphne Du Maurier's Don't Look Now and Other Stories showcases her unique blend of sympathy and spinetingling suspense. "Daphne du Maurier is in a class by herself."-New York Times

and Other Stories

Great, mixed collection of short stories. All of them become extremely captivating as you read on.

Isabella Chiara Vicco 

Lorraine

This is a collection of five very different short stories by Daphne du Maurier. I love her writing style and I found it so easy to slip into the stories, this small collection did not disappoint. I enjoyed all of the stories, but my favourite by far was Don’t Look Now, in which a couple holiday in Venice. It was a very atmospheric and creepy read, very suspenseful. I love Venice and found myself absorbed in the story and the ending!

Ivy X

I read Don't Look Now and I enjoyed it a lot. Very easy to follow and so fascinating as well. I was very surprised by the ending and I enjoyed the story a lot.

John and Laura have come to Venice to try and escape the pain of their young daughter's death. But when they encounter two old women who claim to have second sight, they find that instead of laying their ghosts to rest they become caught up in a train of increasingly strange and violent events. The four other haunting, evocative stories in this volume also explore deep fears and longings, secrets and desires: a lonely teacher who investigates a mysterious American couple, a young woman confronting her father's past, a party of pilgrims who meet disaster in Jerusalem and a scientist who harnesses the power of the mind to chilling effect.

Jade Flynn

Read for my 'Exceeds Expectations' N.E.W.T in Care of Magical Creatures 2019 #magicalreadathon. Prompt - Read a book under 300 pages. Career choice - Ministry of Magic, Department of Mysteries Worker.  The other four stories in this collection never quite matches up to the title story but they were still solid 3/5 shorts. Daphne continues to bring me eerie joy.

Nicolás Niño 

Ashlyn

John and Laura have come to Venice to try and escape the pain of their young daughter's death. But when they encounter two old women who claim to have second sight, they find that instead of laying their ghosts to rest they become caught up in a train of increasingly strange and violent events. The four other haunting, evocative stories in this volume also explore deep fears and longings, secrets and desires: a lonely teacher who investigates a mysterious American couple, a young woman confronting her father's past, a party of pilgrims who meet disaster in Jerusalem and a scientist who harnesses the power of the mind to chilling effect. "Don't Look Now" is a strange and intimate masterpiece: a perfect distillation of the confusion and desire that attend grief, which, as the story progresses, adventures forward through the winding streets of Venice with the logic of nightmare. - Ethan Rutherford: http://www.npr.org/2013/05/19/177638074/ghost-ships-murders-bird-attacks-stories-to-keep-you-awake

Don't Look Now Stories

Reviews