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A bit about Daphne du Maurier

Daphne du Maurier wrote Rebecca in four months and it has never gone out of print since its first publication in 1938.

The fictional estate Manderley in Rebecca was inspired by a real estate in Cornwall called Menabilly. Daphne du Maurier later leased and restored Menabilly about which she is quoted to have said: «It makes me a little ashamed to admit it, but I do believe I love Mena more than people».

At the height of her literary success in the 1950s following the release of My Cousin Rachel, Daphne du Maurier was the highest-paid female writer in Britain.

Alfred Hitchcock, film maker extraordinary, adapted three of her books for the screen: Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, and the short story, The Birds.

My review of The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier

What Amazon says

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA

With an Introduction by ‘Britain’s most sophisticated film critic’ David Thomson, THE TIMES

‘A remarkable imagination continually provokes both pity and terror’ OBSERVER

‘One of the last century’s most original literary talents’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality’ GUARDIAN

‘How long he fought with them in the darkness he could not tell, but at last the beating of the wings about him lessened and then withdrew . . .’

A classic of alienation and horror, The Birds was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man’s sense of dominance over the natural world.

My review of The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier

The Birds and Other Stories is a collection of six exceedingly creepy gothic short stories by Daphne du Maurier. Each of the stories is completely different but they all highlight in chillingly graphic detail various flaws in the characters and/or in society. This collection was originally known as ‘The Apple Tree’ but was renamed The Birds and Other Stories after the release of the movie version of The Birds produced and directed by Universal Pictures.

The most famous of these stories is The Birds because of the success of the movie but the one I found to be the most upsetting was The Little Photographer. Perhaps this story resonated with me because modern society is so focused on money, consumption, and social media which is full of artificial influencers who will do and say anything to grow their followings.

The Little Photographer is the story of a spoiled, rich Marquise who married for money and is now neglected by her workaholic husband. Left with her two small children and their governess at a seaside holiday resort, the Marquise is bored and decides to have an affair. She gives no thought at all to the ‘victim’ of her predatory search for stimulation and self gratification or the impact of her actions on his life or the life of his disabled sister. The story puts selfish and vain behaviour under a microscope and ruthlessly depicts the devastation it wreaks on an innocent and inexperienced partially disabled young man. While sad, this story has a satisfying ending.

The Birds is a horror story that creeps into your mind and takes up residence because the perpetrators of death and destruction are common birds like robins and sea gulls. These are creatures we see everyday and we do not regard them as threatening or scary. The hero of the story, Nat Hocken, an English farmer with a family, does not pay much attention to the strange behaviour of the birds until they start attacking people, killing and mutilating them. The bird attacks are a sort of kamikaze mass hysteria behaviour during which dozens of birds die as they dive bomb into walls, windows, and cars. This story interested me with its theme of a natural adversary which has been accruing hatred for humanity for centuries and finally decides to take its revenge. This is an interesting concept at a time of global warming and climate change as it defies the perception that humanity controls nature. Of course, Covid 19 and climate change are clear advocates that this is not the case and these recent experiences make this story all the more thought provoking. This story has the only ending that is really possible for a narrative of this nature.

Each of the other four stories is its own reflection on the impact of isolated and hostile landscapes or entrapment in unhappy domestic situations on the psychological well being of the characters. Guilt, unresolved grief, and domestic jealousy all raise their heads in this fascinating collection. All of them linger in the mind having set up a chain of thought. A worthwhile investment of reading time.

You can purchase The Birds and Other stories from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Stories-Virago-Modern-Classics-ebook/dp/B00825907O/

Quotes from The Birds and Other Stories

“…as the slow sea sucked at the shore and then withdrew, leaving the strip of seaweed bare and the shingle churned, the sea birds raced and ran upon the beaches. Then that same impulse to flight seized upon them too. Crying, whistling, calling, they skimmed the placid sea and left the shore. Make haste, make speed, hurry and begone; yet where, and to what purpose? The restless urge of autumn, unsatisfying, sad, had put a spell upon them and they must flock, and wheel, and cry; they must spill themselves of motion before winter came.”

“They were ageless, they were sexless, they were neither male nor female, old or young, but the beauty of their faces, and of their bodies too, was more stirring and exciting than anything I had ever seen or known, and with a sudden longing I wanted to be one of them, to be dressed as they were dressed, to love as they must love, to laugh and worship and be silent.”

“The Marquise lay on her chaise-longue on the balcony of the hotel. She wore only a wrapper, and her sleek gold hair, newly set in pins, was bound close to her head in a turquoise bandeau that matched her eyes. Beside her chair stood a little table, and on it were three bottles of nail varnish all of a different shade.”

Have you read any of Daphne du Maurier’s books? What do you think of her writing? Let me know in the comments.

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Social Media Links

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle