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Summary: Superb edition of a classic Daphne DuMaurier novel.
Review: A reprint of a classic Daphne DuMaurier title return, The Scapegoat tells of two men who meet in a railway station, discovering they are so much alike that they could pass for each other - with resulting problems. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Satisfying and Thought Provoking
Review: How anyone can say that "The Scapegoat" is slow leaves me dumbfounded. The week in the life of British historian and lecturer, John, posing as Jean, the impoverished Comte of the chateau de Gue is a journey of the mythic hero, going off into unknown territory and accomplishing a mission where he is thereby transformed. Before the switch, John feels like a voyeur, reading and studying people from a distance rather than actually living in the midst of them. Once he is immersed in Jean's life, he cannot help but feel---as the comte, every decision he makes, effects numerous lives. Like other Du Maurier male characters, John finds as a male he holds the power; the woman flutter about him, allowing and acquiesing to his indisputed control. John believes he becomes a newer,better version of Jean as he interacts with Jean's mother, sister, wife, brother and wife; what he doesn't realize is that in enacting this transformation he can never go back to the life he once knew;his newfound strength sacrifices the 'scapegoat' of the title; with this death, the chateau and its remaining personel are revitalized with a new life.
Du Maurier's undertaking of having John speak in a first person narrative succeeds on every level. The reader experiences all the surprises and revelations through John's eyes and tender heart. Her portrayal of Marie-Noel, Jean's eleven year old daughter, borders on genius; the character springs off the pages, a concatenation of cartwheeling free spirit and religious waif, confused by the seemingly nonsensical activities of the adults around her.
Du Maurier masterfully illustrates the old adage 'there are two sides to every story' throughout the novel as well-meaning John's actions loose something as they are translated by the other dwellers in the Chateau and by Jean himself. Throughout the book, I wondered if Du Maurier, like Jean was playing an elaborate joke on the reader as well---could Jean and John be the same person? On a whim, Jean pretending to be a stranger, conveniently forgets the past and initiates changes that he otherwise could not consciously facilitate? Interesting.
Obviously, the novel is highly recommended to all.
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Summary: Great characters....didn't want to see it end
Review: I loved this book. The characters were fascinating and full of intricacies -- you loved them, you hated them, you were surprised by them. The pace, while I thought it was a little slow at first, became absolutely compelling. The daughter, seemingly so old for her years, was touching. My only wish would have been to know what de Gue actually did in London while John took his place instead of finding out at the end. Highly recommend reading it and her other works...Rebecca in particular.
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Summary: Very, Very, Good Read
Review: I read this and was unable to put it down. Read it when it's rainy outside. I love Daphne D'Maurier's writing style. She describes things perfectly, but doesn't spend forever talking about them. If you like Mysteries or books with twists of humourous irony you'll love this. An Englishman is forced to switch places with his Frenchman look-alike, and inherits family problems, debts, and the mystery begins. A must read.
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Summary: Du Maurier's Best
Review: I thought I had read everything that Daphne Du Maurier wrote until I discovered The Scapegoat in a Seattle bookstore. Now it ranks with House on the Strand as my favorite among her works. It's been a while since I enjoyed a book so much that I'd rather not sleep or go to work so I could finish it! The ending really threw me, but I had to admit that no other ending would have made sense. It's just that Du Maurier had completely drawn me into caring about these people and hoping that everything would turn out for the best. I guess I'm just a sentimentalist, like the protagonist. Enjoy this one!
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Summary: Fascinating!
Review: I was hooked from the first page, and took the book with me everywhere until I was finished. A story of role exchange that was made quite believable by Miss du Maurier. A very satisfying ending.
Rating:
Summary: Beware
Review: I went against a promise to myself not to get caught up in another novel while I'm so busy. I picked up the book in the afternoon and didn't put it down until I reached the end that evening.
Rating:
Summary: Beware
Review: I went against a promise to myself not to get caught up in another novel while I'm so busy. I picked up the book in the afternoon and didn't put it down until I reached the end that evening.
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Summary: Feelings & paintings!
Review: I've never thought that feelings could possibly be portryed as such. Daphne Du Maurier was able to draw such a beautiful painting of very rare human feelings and through which, was able to teach many of us a great moral lesson.
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Summary: Du Maurier has gift for breathing life into hackneyed themes
Review: One thing I admire about Du Maurier is her ability to take well-worn plot ideas and give them a fascinating new twist -- for example, time travel in House on the Strand. In Scapegoat, a story of switched identities, we step into the world of a postwar French aristocrat not just as readers but as the despairing English scholar who takes on the man's freedoms as well as his responsibilities. A very satisfying read.
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