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The King's General av Daphne Du Maurier
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The King's General (urspr publ 1946; utgåvan 2009)

av Daphne Du Maurier (Författare)

MedlemmarRecensionerPopularitetGenomsnittligt betygOmnämnanden
1,1242417,700 (3.93)98
Inspired by a grisly discovery in the 19th century, The King's General was the first of du Maurier's novels to be written at Menabilly, the model for Manderley in Rebecca.Set in the 17th century, it tells the story of a country and a family riven by civil war, and features one of fiction's most original heroines. Honor Harris is only 18 when she first meets Richard Grenvile - proud, reckless and utterly captivating. But following a riding accident, Honor must reconcile herself to a life alone.As Richard rises through the ranks of the army, marries and makes enemies, Honor remains true to him, and finally discovers the secret of Menabilly.… (mer)
Medlem:BrokenTune
Titel:The King's General
Författare:Daphne Du Maurier (Författare)
Info:Sourcebooks Landmark (2009), 448 pages
Samlingar:Read
Betyg:****
Taggar:Ingen/inga

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Kungens general av Daphne du Maurier (1946)

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» Se även 98 omnämnanden

engelska (22)  slovakiska (1)  franska (1)  Alla språk (24)
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As a fan of Rebecca and someone who is very interested in the English Civil War and the huge social upheavals it caused, I wanted to love this book, but sadly could not in the end. It has some interesting elements, and the author does manage to make the disability of her viewpoint character, Honor Harris, work, but the first part at least could have been set in Victorian times. Only when we reach the section where the house of Menabily is sacked by the Parliamentary troops does the story come alive.

The focus is mainly on the lingering love affair between Honor and Richard Grenville, a brilliant soldier but poor anything else, especially diplomat, and how his frustration with the incompetence of the other Royalist leaders drives him to alienate more and more of those who, ultimately, he needs in order to accomplish anything. Despite the damage to her reputation and his hotheaded actions, Honor steadfastly sticks by Richard even though his character has poisoned the relationship between him and his son, Dick.

Many of the characters in the story - Grenville, for example, and Honor herself, are based on real historical characters, and some of the events at the house called Menabily are also based on what was found there as an afterword makes clear. The other character in this book is the Cornish countryside and the sea which hugs its coasts, and that provides a great setting for the early hopes and later disappointments of Honor's life. But too much of the book flags in pace and despite the various grumbles about the vicissitudes of life under Parliament and the Roundhead troops, there is not even a mention of the religious and political causes of the war; instead, to Honor, those people were all money grasping etc and that was their motivation. Her one concession is that the King was too arrogant and unbending. But the treatment of the causes are simplistic to say the least. So I could only rate this at 3 stars. ( )
  kitsune_reader | Nov 23, 2023 |
In this lesser known gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier, a strong female character named Honor Harris narrates the story, beginning with a childhood point of view. Early on Honor's brother marries into the rich and powerful Grenville family. Let us just say things don't go well, and Honor comes away with a deep dislike for the Grenvilles. At the age of eighteen, Honor meets the charismatic, yet cruel Richard Grenville and falls deeply in love with him (or is it lust)? The remainder of the book is dedicated to their relationship, the English Civil War and the ongoing internal disputes between the Grenville and Harris families.

After completing the book, it was interesting to find out about the depth of du Maurier's historical research and how many of the characters were based on actual people, although some of the story is fictionalized. Part of the story takes place at Menabilly, which is the same historic setting Manderly was based on in Rebecca. The main criticism posed by professional critics is the language and attitudes portrayed in the story were too modern for the time period the book was set in during the 1600s. To a certain extent I agree with this criticism, yet I'd still recommend this book to du Maurier and gothic book fans.

For potential readers, my one suggestion would be to avoid reading the foreword and any in-depth information or reviews about the book. There are several important plot twists and the story could easily be ruined by coming across online spoilers.

Rating: 4 stars
Original Publication Date: 1946
Setting: UK, specifically Menabilly in Cornwall
Genre(s): Historical fiction, Gothic, Romance
July - BookedInTime - 17th Century, English Civil War ( )
  Ann_R | Aug 27, 2023 |
In England, I imagine there are months devoted in history classes to the reign of Charles I and the rise of Oliver Cromwell, Parliament and Puritan rule--The English Civil War. In the States, it is almost a passing mention in an attempt to cram all of World History into a single year of study. I love the way a historical novel such as this one can help to painlessly fill the gaps in a wanting education.

Then, there is Cornwall. My ancestry is almost exclusively English, I have found through my genealogical research, and if asked I would swear that there is something planted in my DNA that links me to Cornwall. I love it that much. Of course, it might just be my choice of authors, among them Daphne du Maurier, who manage to take you there and make you feel it is home.

I have seen the shadows creep on an autumn afternoon from the deep Pridmouth Valley to the summit of the hill, and there stay a moment, waiting on the sun. I have seen, too, the white sea mists of early summer turn the hill to fantasy, so that it becomes, in a single second, a ghost land of enchantment, with no sound coming but the wash of breakers on the hidden beach, where at high noon, the children gather cowrie shells. Dark moods too, of bleak November, when the rain sweeps in a curtain from the southwest. But quietest of all, the evenings of late summer, when the sun has set, and the moon has not yet risen, but the dew is heavy in the long grass.

The magic of Daphne du Maurier is that she can take what would be a romance in the hands of another author and turn it into such a deeper, more meaningful tale, without losing one bit of the fire, passion or mystery. The King’s General is nothing if not romantic. On its surface, it is the story of two star-crossed lovers who lose their chance at happiness but are never willing or able to lose one another. I think it is no mistake that Richard Grenvile’s love should be named Honor Harris, however, for the importance of truth and honor is at an understanding of his heart and the heart of the novel.

Where I am from we despise the memory of Tucumseh Sherman, but he did say something very wise and true, “War is hell”. He probably wasn’t the first to say it. Many men who have watched the unnecessary loss of life and property in many a war must have said it, if only to themselves. It takes a particular kind of man to make a good soldier and only a very select group make great generals. The King’s General, Richard Grenvile, was such a man, and those kinds of men operate on honor, duty, and a willingness to do whatever must be done to win. Sherman burned Atlanta to the ground, Richard destroyed everything he should have held dear; both did it in the earnest belief that the cause they championed was the right one, the only one.

There are so many serious questions one encounters during the course of this novel. There are questions of love, what it should or can overlook in the beloved, what causes it to bloom and what keeps it alive, and if it is true, can it ever die? And what of bonds between fathers and sons? What does one owe the other? What is honor and can any act of contrition clear a dishonored man? What is strength? Physical prowess, mental sharpness, the willingness to die for something you believe in, the willingness to put everything you love at risk?

Daphne du Maurier answers some of these questions and leaves us pondering the others. In the process, she creates a host of characters that are unforgettable and gives us a glimpse of a war and a time that is all but forgotten. History is never so real as when you can put an individual experience to it, when the man hanging on the noose has a name and a smile, when the tomb that is sealed has a person inside and not just a name and dates on its stony surface.

( )
  mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 |
I would not rate this as one of the stronger du Maurier novels. The love affair that runs through it I can only describe as unpleasant and dysfunctional. Honor Harris meets Richard Grenvile as a young woman (he is about 10 years older) and I think we are meant to believe that she has a strong personality to match his and that is why she falls for his seduction. However, I never really got that part of personality and Grenvile, despite Honor constantly thinking it is so, seems to have no redeeming features of goodness. He bullies her and offends just about everyone he ever encounters, including her whole extended family, and she makes excuses and follows him everywhere as he is on the Royalist side of the English Civil War and managing to annoy just about anyone he fights with. There were a whole series of plots and counterplots that never quite made sense and I was thoroughly sick of the Honor and Richard story by the time it was over.
  amyem58 | May 23, 2022 |
A really smooth flowing read with a great story. I like it better than her other books. Cleaver twists and turns. ( )
  SteveMcI | Apr 3, 2022 |
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» Lägg till fler författare (1 möjlig)

Författarens namnRollTyp av författareVerk?Status
Maurier, Daphne duprimär författarealla utgåvorbekräftat
Gaisford, PaulIllustratörmedförfattarevissa utgåvorbekräftat
Koskiluoma, HilkkaÖversättaremedförfattarevissa utgåvorbekräftat
Pelà, R.Översättaremedförfattarevissa utgåvorbekräftat
Picardie, JustineInledningmedförfattarevissa utgåvorbekräftat
Stevenson, JulietBerättaremedförfattarevissa utgåvorbekräftat
Thiès, HenriÖversättaremedförfattarevissa utgåvorbekräftat
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To My Husband, also a general, but, I trust, a more discreet one
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September, 1653. The last of summer. The first chill winds of autumn. The sun no longer strikes my eastern window as I wake, but, turning laggard, does not top the hill before eight o'clock.
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'I hated you first. I like you better now,' I told him. 'It's hard that I had to make you vomit before I won your approval,' he answered. I laughed, and then fell to groaning again, for the swan was not entirely dissipated. 'Lean against my shoulder, so,' he said to me. 'Poor little one, what an ending to an eighteenth birthday.' I could feel him shake with silent laughter, and yet his voice and hands were strangely tender, and I was happy with him. (London/Paris: The Albatross 1949, p. 30)
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Inspired by a grisly discovery in the 19th century, The King's General was the first of du Maurier's novels to be written at Menabilly, the model for Manderley in Rebecca.Set in the 17th century, it tells the story of a country and a family riven by civil war, and features one of fiction's most original heroines. Honor Harris is only 18 when she first meets Richard Grenvile - proud, reckless and utterly captivating. But following a riding accident, Honor must reconcile herself to a life alone.As Richard rises through the ranks of the army, marries and makes enemies, Honor remains true to him, and finally discovers the secret of Menabilly.

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