I left the UK still full of zombies, but I'm confident Darcy and Elizabeth will survive to be old and gray (or grey, as they'd prefer). As will Mary and Jem, the heroes of "Jamaica Inn," the second book I've enjoyed by Daphne DuMaurier. The author is officially one of my favorites now, and I plan to use my B&N employee discount to buy the other volume of hers we carry, a story collection that includes "The Birds." That's right, Hitchcock made films from at least three DuMaurier stories.
Never did I time the reading of a book so well as when I read the final page of "Jamaica Inn" on the 1 train as it approached 207 Street today. It took me no more than a week to read this, and it was pretty fantastic. I still like "Rebecca" the best, but I rooted for Mary even when she ventured where most would never wander. She talked a lot about stereotypes against women, which I appreciated. She would notice that she was treated a certain way only because she was a women, and everyone knows women are fragile and can't handle physical or emotional stress! She also took an opportunity to point out how, specifically, she would be treated in a certain scenario if she had been a man. I like that she made a statement without being obnoxious, and it fit the character well. She proves herself in the end, of course, when she courageously follows her heart and chooses the life that will truly make her happiest -- a life of adventure with the man she loves. She gets the best of both worlds, despite once vowing she didn't require love:
"If loving a man meant this pain and anguish and sickness, she wanted none of it. It did away with sanity and composure and made havoc of courage. She was a babbling child now when once she had been indifferent and strong."
But much of her existence at Jamaica Inn required her to take risks. After the death of her mother, a widow, she went to live with her aunt and uncle at the most loathed and avoided residence known to the people of the moors. Jamaica Inn was no longer serving its nominal purpose, but sat a dark and sinister hub awaiting smuggled cargo from ships wrecked by land-locked pirates. A witness to the illegal activities and a self-appointed guardian of her wilting Aunt Patience, Mary conspired with fate to bring her uncle and his cronies to justice. Little did she know, her sole confidant, an albino vicar, was the leader of the pack, and the man she loved but mistrusted would come through for her in the end.
