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The Birds and Other Stories
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 dominance over the natural world. The mountain paradise of 'Monte Verità' promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd . . .
256 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1952
About the author
Daphne du Maurier
341 books8,916 followersDaphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 at 24 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London, the middle of three daughters of prominent actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and actress Muriel, née Beaumont. In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, her paternal grandfather was author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the 1894 novel Trilby, and her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer Comyns Beaumont. She and her sisters were indulged as a children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter.
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story. The nameless heroine has
She spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories. Her family connections helped her establish her literary career, and she published some of her early work in Beaumont's Bystander magazine. A prestigious publishing house accepted her first novel when she was in her early twenties, and its publication brought her not only fame but the attentions of a handsome soldier, Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) Frederick Browning, whom she married.
She continued writing under her maiden name, and her subsequent novels became bestsellers, earning her enormous wealth and fame. Many have been successfully adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn, and the short stories The Birds and Don't Look Now/Not After Midnight. While Alfred Hitchcock's films based upon her novels proceeded to make her one of the best-known authors in the world, she enjoyed the life of a fairy princess in a mansion in Cornwall called Menabilly, which served as the model for Manderley in Rebecca.
Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with the past. She intensively researched the lives of Francis and Anthony Bacon, the history of Cornwall, the Regency period, and nineteenth-century France and England. Above all, however, she was obsessed with her own family history, which she chronicled in Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father; The du Mauriers, a study of her family which focused on her grandfather, George du Maurier, the novelist and illustrator for Punch; The Glassblowers, a novel based upon the lives of her du Maurier ancestors; and Growing Pains, an autobiography that ignores nearly 50 years of her life in favour of the joyful and more romantic period of her youth. Daphne du Maurier can best be understood in terms of her remarkable and paradoxical family, the ghosts which haunted her life and fiction.
While contemporary writers were dealing critically with such subjects as the war, alienation, religion, poverty, Marxism, psychology and art, and experimenting with new techniques such as the stream of consciousness, du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
In some of her novels, however, she went beyond the technique of the formulaic romance to achieve a powerful psychological realism reflecting her intense feelings about her father, and to a lesser degree, her mother. This vision, which underlies Julius, Rebecca and The Parasites, is that of an author overwhelmed by the memory of her father's commanding presence. In Julius and The Parasites, for example, she introduces the image of a domineering but deadly father and the daring subject of incest.
In Rebecca, on the other hand, du Maurier fuses psychological realism with a sophisticated version of the Cinderella story. The nameless heroine has
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July 20, 2023
Jabłonka i prowincjonalny fotograf były niesamowite.
October 25, 2019
in calculating my enjoyment of this collection, i might have made a mathematical error. there are six stories in this collection, and i only disliked one of them. granted, the one i disliked was the longest story, which gives it more negative weight, but my love of the last story was so great that i think i shall round this up to four stars.
there.
since there are only six stories, it is not a trial for me to review them separately.
The Birds
yeah, we've all seen the movie.
but du maurier's story is completely different, except for the centralpremise fact that birds are evil. hers is a much more pastoral story, where the action revolves around one family's attempts to keep the aggressive birds out of their house, but the attacks are of course much wider-reaching. it's terrifically tense with the window-pecking and chimney-invading, and the family's attempts to turn their small home into a fortress in the small windows of opportunity between massive bird-invasions. goddamn birds.
Monte Verita
this is the one i thought was barf. it starts out promising but it just goes on and on and then gets all weird and flaky with all that ineffable imagery that i find so tedious in authors like lovecraft. this story made me really grouchy.
The Apple Tree
this one is darkly comic with an unlikeable, unreliable narrator recently widowed and glad of it. finally he is free to do as he pleases, living like a bachelor without the pesky sighing martyrdom of his wife invading his relaxing space with her relentless housework and negative attitude. but there's this apple tree, see, and it is starting to remind him of her - dauntlessly clinging to life, keeping the other, younger, prettier trees in its shadow, producing fruit that everyone else finds pleasant but tastes rancid in his mouth. and he starts to HATE that tree. it starts to haunt his every waking moment and ruin his peace of mind. and he is going to have to do something about it. this is a great slow-burning character study of a man who is bitterly angry with limited self-awareness. man vs tree - who will win?
The Little Photographer
this is another great character study, with a fantastic shift in readerly loyalty. it concerns a beautiful, lonely marquise left to her own devices on holiday with her two young daughters while her husband tends to his business needs. she married an older man for the glamor of his title, but has found that it is not at all as rewarding as she had imagined, and is a very shallow existence of keeping up appearances and tedious public engagements. she envies her friends with their romantic dalliances and the freedom they have in their unscrutinized lives, and decides to take advantage of her unsupervised situation by having an affair with a young awestruck photographer whom she uses for the physical pleasures while treating him with indifference and lording her social superiority over him. but when he starts to get a little clingy, she has to protect herself, right?
Kiss Me Again, Stranger
a young man falls hard for an enigmatic beauty with some serious baggage. it has the feeling of a ghost story without any actual ghosts, and it a fantastic cautionary tale about finding out some details about a lady before you go getting all starry-eyed. pretty girls make graves and all.
The Old Man
oh, man. i am not going to say anything about this story except that du maurier blew my everlovin' mind with this one. COMPLETELY caught by surprise. i was reading it and going "blah blah blah - why do i care about this situation??" and the OUT OF NOWHERE she yanked the rug out from under me, and i fell in love with her. best way to end a story collection ever.
so, yes. four stars for the collection, no stars for that mountain-story, and one million stars for that last story.
this is math.
come to my blog!
there.
since there are only six stories, it is not a trial for me to review them separately.
The Birds
yeah, we've all seen the movie.
but du maurier's story is completely different, except for the central
Monte Verita
this is the one i thought was barf. it starts out promising but it just goes on and on and then gets all weird and flaky with all that ineffable imagery that i find so tedious in authors like lovecraft. this story made me really grouchy.
The Apple Tree
this one is darkly comic with an unlikeable, unreliable narrator recently widowed and glad of it. finally he is free to do as he pleases, living like a bachelor without the pesky sighing martyrdom of his wife invading his relaxing space with her relentless housework and negative attitude. but there's this apple tree, see, and it is starting to remind him of her - dauntlessly clinging to life, keeping the other, younger, prettier trees in its shadow, producing fruit that everyone else finds pleasant but tastes rancid in his mouth. and he starts to HATE that tree. it starts to haunt his every waking moment and ruin his peace of mind. and he is going to have to do something about it. this is a great slow-burning character study of a man who is bitterly angry with limited self-awareness. man vs tree - who will win?
The Little Photographer
this is another great character study, with a fantastic shift in readerly loyalty. it concerns a beautiful, lonely marquise left to her own devices on holiday with her two young daughters while her husband tends to his business needs. she married an older man for the glamor of his title, but has found that it is not at all as rewarding as she had imagined, and is a very shallow existence of keeping up appearances and tedious public engagements. she envies her friends with their romantic dalliances and the freedom they have in their unscrutinized lives, and decides to take advantage of her unsupervised situation by having an affair with a young awestruck photographer whom she uses for the physical pleasures while treating him with indifference and lording her social superiority over him. but when he starts to get a little clingy, she has to protect herself, right?
Kiss Me Again, Stranger
a young man falls hard for an enigmatic beauty with some serious baggage. it has the feeling of a ghost story without any actual ghosts, and it a fantastic cautionary tale about finding out some details about a lady before you go getting all starry-eyed. pretty girls make graves and all.
The Old Man
oh, man. i am not going to say anything about this story except that du maurier blew my everlovin' mind with this one. COMPLETELY caught by surprise. i was reading it and going "blah blah blah - why do i care about this situation??" and the OUT OF NOWHERE she yanked the rug out from under me, and i fell in love with her. best way to end a story collection ever.
so, yes. four stars for the collection, no stars for that mountain-story, and one million stars for that last story.
this is math.
come to my blog!
February 4, 2021
I am still in shock over how wonderful this book was. Each story perfect and haunting in its own unique way. Each story just the right length, not a word too long, not a page too short. Breathtaking storytelling from Du Maurier.
June 18, 2024
Una lectura muy adecuada para la época en la que nos encontramos. La autora con su estilo sencillo y transparente nos lleva en volandas por unas historias que tienen la calidad literaria suficiente, que no exigen esfuerzo alguno y que te mantienen pegado a sus páginas de principio a fin.
Aunque por su evidente atractivo comercial se destaque en el título el relato de “Los pájaros” , este no ha podido alcanzar más que el segundo lugar en mis preferencias. Una historia que dista mucho de la llevada por Hitchcock a la pantalla: nada hay aquí de relaciones románticas ni de tensiones edípicas, pero sí la misma angustia por el inexplicable comportamiento de los pájaros y sí un inquietante final que ni el genio del suspense se atrevió a llevar a su película. Daphne du Maurier, más allá de las posible connotaciones ecológicas, pone el acento en la persona del granjero que, en contra de la opinión de sus vecinos, en contra de la opinión de su propia familia, tiene que enfrentarse sin ayuda a un peligro que solo él ve en toda su magnitud. Un tema, este de la defensa de la propia opinión en contra de todo y de todos, que me hubiera gustado que tuviera un mayor desarrollo.
También se podía haber rematado mejor el cuento de “El joven fotógrafo” , cuyo planteamiento – la necesidad patológica de admiración física, la monotonía y aburrimiento de una vida insulsa, el desprecio por los sentimientos ajenos- se despliega brillantemente para no rematarlo con un final a la altura. Del mismo modo, pienso que “Bésame otra vez, forastero” se cierra con excesiva prisa tras encandilarnos con un retrato (autorretrato involuntario) fabuloso de un cándido y algo simple mecánico que se enamora de una atractiva y enigmática señorita que encierra un inesperado y terrible secreto.
Mi problema con “El viejo” es que el cuento se apoya mucho en la sorpresa final y yo tuve la mala suerte de, en cierta manera, anticiparlo.
Por el contrario, nada puedo reprochar a “El manzano” , me encantó de principio a fin. Aunque el cuento juguetea con lo sobrenatural, yo prefiero ver una historia subterránea de vida frustrada, de sentimiento de culpa y de búsqueda inconsciente de castigo y redención por parte del protagonista al que le persigue el recuerdo del trato dado a su mujer recientemente fallecida y que parece haberse reencarnado en un viejo manzano. No por nada, este era el relato que se destacaba en el título original del libro.
P.D. Lamentablemente, esta edición no incluye el relato “Monte Verità” que la editorial ha decidido publicar por separado. Para compensar esta mala noticia, la editorial anuncia la publicación de un nuevo libro de relatos de la autora: “No mires ahora”.
Aunque por su evidente atractivo comercial se destaque en el título el relato de “Los pájaros” , este no ha podido alcanzar más que el segundo lugar en mis preferencias. Una historia que dista mucho de la llevada por Hitchcock a la pantalla: nada hay aquí de relaciones románticas ni de tensiones edípicas, pero sí la misma angustia por el inexplicable comportamiento de los pájaros y sí un inquietante final que ni el genio del suspense se atrevió a llevar a su película. Daphne du Maurier, más allá de las posible connotaciones ecológicas, pone el acento en la persona del granjero que, en contra de la opinión de sus vecinos, en contra de la opinión de su propia familia, tiene que enfrentarse sin ayuda a un peligro que solo él ve en toda su magnitud. Un tema, este de la defensa de la propia opinión en contra de todo y de todos, que me hubiera gustado que tuviera un mayor desarrollo.
También se podía haber rematado mejor el cuento de “El joven fotógrafo” , cuyo planteamiento – la necesidad patológica de admiración física, la monotonía y aburrimiento de una vida insulsa, el desprecio por los sentimientos ajenos- se despliega brillantemente para no rematarlo con un final a la altura. Del mismo modo, pienso que “Bésame otra vez, forastero” se cierra con excesiva prisa tras encandilarnos con un retrato (autorretrato involuntario) fabuloso de un cándido y algo simple mecánico que se enamora de una atractiva y enigmática señorita que encierra un inesperado y terrible secreto.
Mi problema con “El viejo” es que el cuento se apoya mucho en la sorpresa final y yo tuve la mala suerte de, en cierta manera, anticiparlo.
Por el contrario, nada puedo reprochar a “El manzano” , me encantó de principio a fin. Aunque el cuento juguetea con lo sobrenatural, yo prefiero ver una historia subterránea de vida frustrada, de sentimiento de culpa y de búsqueda inconsciente de castigo y redención por parte del protagonista al que le persigue el recuerdo del trato dado a su mujer recientemente fallecida y que parece haberse reencarnado en un viejo manzano. No por nada, este era el relato que se destacaba en el título original del libro.
P.D. Lamentablemente, esta edición no incluye el relato “Monte Verità” que la editorial ha decidido publicar por separado. Para compensar esta mala noticia, la editorial anuncia la publicación de un nuevo libro de relatos de la autora: “No mires ahora”.
August 6, 2020
This collection of short stories was a spontaneous purchase in a secondhand book store. The title story is prominently displayed on the front cover and that made me curious. I really had no idea that Daphne du Maurier was the author of 'The Birds'. Well, it proved to be a very intriguing collection of supernatural stories. They were a joy to read as they are all written in a very elegant and haunting prose. The stories ranged from the apocalyptic to the mysterious, varying in atmosphere from tale to tale, such as the one about a really creepy haunting apple tree (of all ghosts stories, this certainly is a really weird one!) and of a silly murderous Marquise on the south coast of France and another nice one about a female serial killer of aircraft pilots. The collection ends with a few stories of only 10 pages or less.
'The Birds' was my favorite story and it is much more scary and claustrophobic than Hitchcock's movie. There is one image in that story which struck me as really terrifying, when the main character looks out over the sea and the sea is white as far as the eye can see, covered with floating seagulls that are waiting for the tide to turn to start their attack. If Hitchcock would have used that image, it would have made a terrible impact. All the stories were interesting in their own way and mood, except for 'Mount Verita', which gave me the impression that Ms du Maurier was perhaps under the influence of a narcotic substance, as it had that certain woozy atmosphere where the story evaporated into nothingness.
I read that there are other collections of short stories of Daphne du Maurier, including one with 'Don't look now', another story that was the basis for a terrific movie. No doubt, that will be a pleasure to read as well.
'The Birds' was my favorite story and it is much more scary and claustrophobic than Hitchcock's movie. There is one image in that story which struck me as really terrifying, when the main character looks out over the sea and the sea is white as far as the eye can see, covered with floating seagulls that are waiting for the tide to turn to start their attack. If Hitchcock would have used that image, it would have made a terrible impact. All the stories were interesting in their own way and mood, except for 'Mount Verita', which gave me the impression that Ms du Maurier was perhaps under the influence of a narcotic substance, as it had that certain woozy atmosphere where the story evaporated into nothingness.
I read that there are other collections of short stories of Daphne du Maurier, including one with 'Don't look now', another story that was the basis for a terrific movie. No doubt, that will be a pleasure to read as well.
May 14, 2024
EXCERPT: The birds had been more restless than ever this fall of the year, the agitation more marked because the days were still. As the tractor traced its path up and down the western hills, the figure of the farmer silhouetted on the driving-seat, the whole machine and the man upon it would be lost momentarily in the great cloud of wheeling, crying birds. There were many more than usual, Nat was sure of this. Always, in autumn, they followed the plough, but not in great flocks like these, nor with such clamour.
ABOUT 'THE BIRDS AND OTHER STORIES': 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. The mountain paradise of Monte Verità promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd...
MY THOUGHTS: A collection of six stories; mostly novellas with a couple of short stories mixed in. Du Maurier's writing is compelling. Even when not particularly enjoying the story (I blew hot and cold on Monte Verità), I could no more have stopped reading than I could turn down a piece of my favorite chocolate. She has a particular way of writing, of creating an atmosphere, of creating characters that worm their way into your psyche.
The Birds - this was one of my 2 favourite stories in the book. Unrecognisable from the movie and, sorry Mr Hitchcock, a better tale for it. A sinister story about the unrealised power of nature should she decide to turn on us. Brilliant, dark, chilling.
Monte Verita - this was quite a long story, and one I blew hot and cold on. It was simply too long and, in the end, I was glad to turn the last page. The moral of the story is that paradise/beauty comes with a price.
The Apple Tree - A man is not exactly heart-broken when his wife dies. He finds himself enjoying life rather more than he had done when she was alive. But there is a stunted apple tree in his orchard that reminds him somewhat of her and he is determined to be rid of it.
The Little Photographer - A beautiful marquise who is bored with her life of luxury embarks on an affair with a villager while on holiday, with far reaching consequences.
Kiss Me Again, Stranger - A man has a chance meeting with a girl who captivates him. An interesting short story of obsession that unfortunately, I quickly figured out.
The Old Man - A short story that is very cleverly written and has an unexpected twist in the tail.
A 'must have' collection for any fan of Du Maurier.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#DiscoverDuMaurier #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, she and her sisters were indulged as children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter. Daphne spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories.
Daphne du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
She is most famously known for her novel Rebecca.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK, Virago, via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT 'THE BIRDS AND OTHER STORIES': 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. The mountain paradise of Monte Verità promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd...
MY THOUGHTS: A collection of six stories; mostly novellas with a couple of short stories mixed in. Du Maurier's writing is compelling. Even when not particularly enjoying the story (I blew hot and cold on Monte Verità), I could no more have stopped reading than I could turn down a piece of my favorite chocolate. She has a particular way of writing, of creating an atmosphere, of creating characters that worm their way into your psyche.
The Birds - this was one of my 2 favourite stories in the book. Unrecognisable from the movie and, sorry Mr Hitchcock, a better tale for it. A sinister story about the unrealised power of nature should she decide to turn on us. Brilliant, dark, chilling.
Monte Verita - this was quite a long story, and one I blew hot and cold on. It was simply too long and, in the end, I was glad to turn the last page. The moral of the story is that paradise/beauty comes with a price.
The Apple Tree - A man is not exactly heart-broken when his wife dies. He finds himself enjoying life rather more than he had done when she was alive. But there is a stunted apple tree in his orchard that reminds him somewhat of her and he is determined to be rid of it.
The Little Photographer - A beautiful marquise who is bored with her life of luxury embarks on an affair with a villager while on holiday, with far reaching consequences.
Kiss Me Again, Stranger - A man has a chance meeting with a girl who captivates him. An interesting short story of obsession that unfortunately, I quickly figured out.
The Old Man - A short story that is very cleverly written and has an unexpected twist in the tail.
A 'must have' collection for any fan of Du Maurier.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#DiscoverDuMaurier #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: In many ways her life resembles a fairy tale. Born into a family with a rich artistic and historical background, she and her sisters were indulged as children and grew up enjoying enormous freedom from financial and parental restraint. Her elder sister, Angela du Maurier, also became a writer, and her younger sister Jeanne was a painter. Daphne spent her youth sailing boats, travelling on the Continent with friends, and writing stories.
Daphne du Maurier produced 'old-fashioned' novels with straightforward narratives that appealed to a popular audience's love of fantasy, adventure, sexuality and mystery. At an early age, she recognised that her readership was comprised principally of women, and she cultivated their loyal following through several decades by embodying their desires and dreams in her novels and short stories.
She is most famously known for her novel Rebecca.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK, Virago, via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
April 10, 2023
4.5/5
Matko, ten klimat! W jednym z opowiadań coś mi nie zagrało (Jabłonka), ale reszta cudowna!
Matko, ten klimat! W jednym z opowiadań coś mi nie zagrało (Jabłonka), ale reszta cudowna!
October 27, 2019
The Birds is one of my favourite movies, so I’d predominantly brought this short story collection to see how the two compared.
It’s easy to see how the 40 page tale makes such an impact as there’s a real sense of terror and being cut off from the outside world as the strangely sinister birds attack the Cornish farmhouse.
Being set just after the Second World War also highlighted the way people could consume the news, with the ‘wireless’ down the Hocken family are unaware of the scale of the situation.
This edition also included five other stories that were quite enjoyable.
It’s easy to see how the 40 page tale makes such an impact as there’s a real sense of terror and being cut off from the outside world as the strangely sinister birds attack the Cornish farmhouse.
Being set just after the Second World War also highlighted the way people could consume the news, with the ‘wireless’ down the Hocken family are unaware of the scale of the situation.
This edition also included five other stories that were quite enjoyable.
February 23, 2023
Sześć opowiadań jednej z najznamienitszych pisarek pierwszej połowy XX wieku, prawdziwej mistrzyni suspensu, muzy samego Alfreda Hitchcocka – Daphne du Maurier.
W tytułowych „Ptakach” weteran wojenny musi stawić czoła gromadom ptaków, które atakują farmy z przestworzy. W „Monte Verità” młoda kobieta szuka swojej prawdy pośród górskich, niedostępnych szczytów. W „Jabłonce” wspomnienie zmarłej żony dręczy umysł męża i doprowadza na skraj szaleństwa. W „Prowincjonalnym fotografie” słodki wakacyjny romans przynosi gorzkie owoce. W „Pocałuj mnie jeszcze raz” były żołnierz przeżywa bliskie spotkanie ze śmiercią. W „Starym” rodzina nad jeziorem budzi skrajne i bolesne emocje.
Lektura „Ptaków i innych opowiadań” budzi niepokój, wprowadza w stan zadumy i zamyślenia. Może zbudzić uśpioną melancholię, poczucie jakiejś niedopowiedzianej straty. Opowiadanie przerwane w połowie potrafi dręczyć czytelnika, w końcu Daphe du Maurier dobrze wiedziała, jak opętać myśli, jak zakorzenić się w naszej wyobraźni. I to w opowiadaniach też widać najwyraźniej jej kunszt snucia opowieści niesamowitych i dusznych, w których nawet to co pozornie niewyjaśnione okazuje się mieć głębszy, podświadomy, podskórny sens.
Dla mnie: majstersztyk.
W tytułowych „Ptakach” weteran wojenny musi stawić czoła gromadom ptaków, które atakują farmy z przestworzy. W „Monte Verità” młoda kobieta szuka swojej prawdy pośród górskich, niedostępnych szczytów. W „Jabłonce” wspomnienie zmarłej żony dręczy umysł męża i doprowadza na skraj szaleństwa. W „Prowincjonalnym fotografie” słodki wakacyjny romans przynosi gorzkie owoce. W „Pocałuj mnie jeszcze raz” były żołnierz przeżywa bliskie spotkanie ze śmiercią. W „Starym” rodzina nad jeziorem budzi skrajne i bolesne emocje.
Lektura „Ptaków i innych opowiadań” budzi niepokój, wprowadza w stan zadumy i zamyślenia. Może zbudzić uśpioną melancholię, poczucie jakiejś niedopowiedzianej straty. Opowiadanie przerwane w połowie potrafi dręczyć czytelnika, w końcu Daphe du Maurier dobrze wiedziała, jak opętać myśli, jak zakorzenić się w naszej wyobraźni. I to w opowiadaniach też widać najwyraźniej jej kunszt snucia opowieści niesamowitych i dusznych, w których nawet to co pozornie niewyjaśnione okazuje się mieć głębszy, podświadomy, podskórny sens.
Dla mnie: majstersztyk.
December 25, 2020
There are some rather solid reasons why Daphne Du Maurier is one of my favourite authors. She was a wordsmith, and she could tell an atmospheric story effortlessly, but, most importantly, she keeps me up at night, and that's a winning recipe to make me fall in love with an author. Ever since I read Rebecca, I'm always on the lookout for more Du Maurier material that I can sink my teeth into. This is my fourth Du Maurier book, and although I didn't love all six of the stories in here, I haven't been left disappointed.
Maybe the most famous story in here, is "The birds" and it was told wonderfully, although, I've not watched the film, so I'm unable to make any comparison like so many do. I don't think it was my favourite, though.
The story I disliked was "Monte Verita." This was also the longest story in the collection. I must say, I was completely intrigued at first, but as it went on, it felt terribly stretched, and the plot had lost it's way.
The one that totally winded me, was the shortest of the collection, and it is called "The old man." I just did not see that ending coming! It was pure Du Maurier magic.
I'm so glad I've read this collection, and I'd recommend it to anyone that loves Daphne Du Maurier as much as I do.
Maybe the most famous story in here, is "The birds" and it was told wonderfully, although, I've not watched the film, so I'm unable to make any comparison like so many do. I don't think it was my favourite, though.
The story I disliked was "Monte Verita." This was also the longest story in the collection. I must say, I was completely intrigued at first, but as it went on, it felt terribly stretched, and the plot had lost it's way.
The one that totally winded me, was the shortest of the collection, and it is called "The old man." I just did not see that ending coming! It was pure Du Maurier magic.
I'm so glad I've read this collection, and I'd recommend it to anyone that loves Daphne Du Maurier as much as I do.
May 3, 2020
The Birds was excellent but the other 5 stories were 1 or 2 star reads for me.
December 24, 2022
أنا اخاف خوف الحيوانات
و اخاف الحيوانات ايضاً؛ عدا الطيور
لذا جاءت قصة الطيور و فيلمها الهتشكوكي ككابوس ثلاثي الأبعاد
في منظوري دوما نحن من نضايق الطيور و هي لا تضايق الا ملابسنا نادراً؛ لذلك كان هذا الهجوم الانتحاري عند ارتفاع المد علي بلدة كرومويل جنونياً جامحا؛ عاتياً؛ بلا اي تبرير؛ الطيور تصطدم بالزجاج؛ بالابواب؛ بالاسقف؛ بالمارة و المحبوسين ببيوتهم بل و بالطائرات
هناك بعض المؤلفين البريطانيين ممن احبهم بلا شروط و دافني دي مورييه من اهمهم و في تلك النوفيلا الصادرة عقب الحرب العالمية ٢ في عام ١٩٥٢ اوضحت خوف البريطانيين المستمر بعد الحرب مما ياتي من السماء
و اخرجها هيتشكوك للسينما عام ٦٣ لتخرج مرة اخري للنور في مجموعة قصصية؛ لم أقرأ منها سوي الطيور منفردة و بطلها رجل بعكس الفيلم
في تحول كابوسي بالقصة ؛ يتزايد القتلي في المدينة و تنفق الاف الطيور اثناء هجوم الكاماكازي؛ و تنتهي القصة نهاية مفتوحة
بينما ينتهي الفيلم المرعب بانتهاء الهجوم فجأة كما بدأ فجاة و لكن هل تنسي البلدة؟
و اخاف الحيوانات ايضاً؛ عدا الطيور
لذا جاءت قصة الطيور و فيلمها الهتشكوكي ككابوس ثلاثي الأبعاد
في منظوري دوما نحن من نضايق الطيور و هي لا تضايق الا ملابسنا نادراً؛ لذلك كان هذا الهجوم الانتحاري عند ارتفاع المد علي بلدة كرومويل جنونياً جامحا؛ عاتياً؛ بلا اي تبرير؛ الطيور تصطدم بالزجاج؛ بالابواب؛ بالاسقف؛ بالمارة و المحبوسين ببيوتهم بل و بالطائرات
هناك بعض المؤلفين البريطانيين ممن احبهم بلا شروط و دافني دي مورييه من اهمهم و في تلك النوفيلا الصادرة عقب الحرب العالمية ٢ في عام ١٩٥٢ اوضحت خوف البريطانيين المستمر بعد الحرب مما ياتي من السماء
و اخرجها هيتشكوك للسينما عام ٦٣ لتخرج مرة اخري للنور في مجموعة قصصية؛ لم أقرأ منها سوي الطيور منفردة و بطلها رجل بعكس الفيلم
في تحول كابوسي بالقصة ؛ يتزايد القتلي في المدينة و تنفق الاف الطيور اثناء هجوم الكاماكازي؛ و تنتهي القصة نهاية مفتوحة
بينما ينتهي الفيلم المرعب بانتهاء الهجوم فجأة كما بدأ فجاة و لكن هل تنسي البلدة؟
February 1, 2021
Los pájaros se lee enseguida y la tensión se mantiene intacta en todo momento.
Agradezco mucho cuando en una historia hay originalidad y valentía… y aquí la autora va con todo. La idea “voy a escribir una historia donde los pájaros ataquen enloquecidos a las personas” es tan arriesgada que lo normal hubiera sido naufragar al plasmarla en papel. Lo que hace Daphne du Maurier me parece complicadísimo ya que la historia está tan bien contada que en ningún momento me he planteado su verosimilitud. Hay que ser muy buena narrando para transmitir toda esa angustia concentrada; de hecho, hay tanta claustrofobia en algunos de sus párrafos como la que sentía la familia atacada en aquella habitación.
Lo recomiendo... ¡Las páginas pasan volando! 🦅😉
Agradezco mucho cuando en una historia hay originalidad y valentía… y aquí la autora va con todo. La idea “voy a escribir una historia donde los pájaros ataquen enloquecidos a las personas” es tan arriesgada que lo normal hubiera sido naufragar al plasmarla en papel. Lo que hace Daphne du Maurier me parece complicadísimo ya que la historia está tan bien contada que en ningún momento me he planteado su verosimilitud. Hay que ser muy buena narrando para transmitir toda esa angustia concentrada; de hecho, hay tanta claustrofobia en algunos de sus párrafos como la que sentía la familia atacada en aquella habitación.
Lo recomiendo... ¡Las páginas pasan volando! 🦅😉
May 7, 2019
Instead of a review, here is a love-letter...
"Dear Daphne,
Have you heard that Cole Porter song? I guess you are not one of those starry-eyed romantics; you would be much more content with the sound of your typewriter keys or the scratch of the nib on a sheet of paper. If not, well let me quote it for you verbatim.
'Let's do it, Daphne. Let's fall in love'.
Of course, it will be an uphill task to woo you. How can it not be? I can imagine you, staring at me with your calm, quietly exquisite eyes and there is a question lingering at their edges. 'What is all this now? How come you fell in love with me, when we have not even met, when you happen to be living in an island city far away in India, that land of spices and seduction, while I am here in the gale-swept coast of Cornwall (forgive my limited knowledge of geography, Daphne darling)? And I suspect that you have evil designs, you might be trying to get rid of a lover (no, no, it's not true, Daphne!) or you are merely infatuated with me, with how beautiful I must be looking and you don't really care about how I feel inside.' Yes, they might be very valid arguments and you would not like it too if I called you 'darling' just for the fun of it.
But please, oh please, listen to me, Daphne, or at least just come back from the heavens and read what I have to write about this book of yours, a book of stories (I am so sorry, dear, I could not read 'Rebecca' or 'Jamaica Inn' yet but they are on the way) that really made me fall in love with your fingers (I am sorry, I did not mean to objectify you that way) or rather with that beautiful, maddeningly intriguing mind of yours that drove your fingers to write these stories.
Will you read this first, please? Here it goes:
'It begins with a flock of birds going a little restless in the throes of winter. It ends with a pair of swans flying into the winter sunlit sky.
Six stories that are not entirely made of suspense, or even romance or tragedy. Rather, six beautiful, haunting, richly suspenseful, romantic and even elegiac stories that leave the reader at the end with a swirling blend of these feelings at the same time.
Each story is more melancholic, intense, brilliantly crafted and indelible than the last and while I am perfectly aware that one of them got filmed as a seminal horror film by a master filmmaker (no, Daphne dear, even he cannot better you, darling), I will always treasure what you wrote first and as a favor to the uninitiated, I am not revealing even the names so that the suspense, horror and brilliance remain intact and untouched. How dare does anyone spoil it all!
And these stories feature an extraordinary cast of people to be found in the most vivid dreams and the most horrifying nightmares. No creatures or ghouls. No monsters or aliens. No zombies or vampires. Just men and women, driven to the edge of reason and evil by their crazy, selfish, greedy, inscrutable hearts.
There are men weighed down with the burden of their toxic masculinity, there are other men who are struggling nobly against forces that they cannot quite fathom, there are women who are sad-eyed and yet eloquent, there are women who claw and struggle for escape and there are many femme fatales to be found lurking in the shadows with their own heart-breaking secrets. (Who, I ask now aloud, can create femme fatales as brilliantly as you do, Daphne?)
And so, we are taken along on a mesmeric dance of beauty and terror, into the sweeping seaside and menacing, mysterious mountains, deep inside melancholic woods and on the desolate streets of London, set to the music of the weeping willows and the roaring gulls, the crash of waves on rocks and the drop of rain on the pavements. Oh, it's positively lovely, like sin, like the night, like death.'
I hope you liked it, Daphne. Now, I urge you again, let's fall in love. Let's go on a date some night, preferably in a double-deck bus (they have those too in my city as well), and dance a waltz among the graves in the night. Or rather let's go to the countryside, perhaps to the coast (my city is by the sea already) and sit there to listen to the gulls and the waves. And perhaps then, we can feel that love engulfing our hearts too. And we can then stare each other down over dinner. Just make sure that they don't serve apple pie for dessert.
And I imagine your reply.
'But, you are so busy in the company of those... men. That man with the name of a colour! I know he writes brilliantly and I admire that film he wrote as well but can't you leave him for a while, on his lascivious, lusty hunt for pot and drink and women across the world? That is not that dignified a thing to do, you know! And what about that bearded wizard who writes the funny papers as if they are novels? He is up to no good too! And what about that India-loving imperialist poet? I know he writes beautifully, no matter what he thinks of the Raj! But still, how can you admire him so much?'
And I lower my head humbly and with a faint voice of sad indecisiveness, I admit that they are family, crazy as they might be, but I cannot leave them completely. And that does it. You are already walking away and I go down on my knees and beg you to stay.
Oh, how I wish I had been a better man, a better lover, Daphne darling! Please be mine.
With Love,
Zoeb"
"Dear Daphne,
Have you heard that Cole Porter song? I guess you are not one of those starry-eyed romantics; you would be much more content with the sound of your typewriter keys or the scratch of the nib on a sheet of paper. If not, well let me quote it for you verbatim.
'Let's do it, Daphne. Let's fall in love'.
Of course, it will be an uphill task to woo you. How can it not be? I can imagine you, staring at me with your calm, quietly exquisite eyes and there is a question lingering at their edges. 'What is all this now? How come you fell in love with me, when we have not even met, when you happen to be living in an island city far away in India, that land of spices and seduction, while I am here in the gale-swept coast of Cornwall (forgive my limited knowledge of geography, Daphne darling)? And I suspect that you have evil designs, you might be trying to get rid of a lover (no, no, it's not true, Daphne!) or you are merely infatuated with me, with how beautiful I must be looking and you don't really care about how I feel inside.' Yes, they might be very valid arguments and you would not like it too if I called you 'darling' just for the fun of it.
But please, oh please, listen to me, Daphne, or at least just come back from the heavens and read what I have to write about this book of yours, a book of stories (I am so sorry, dear, I could not read 'Rebecca' or 'Jamaica Inn' yet but they are on the way) that really made me fall in love with your fingers (I am sorry, I did not mean to objectify you that way) or rather with that beautiful, maddeningly intriguing mind of yours that drove your fingers to write these stories.
Will you read this first, please? Here it goes:
'It begins with a flock of birds going a little restless in the throes of winter. It ends with a pair of swans flying into the winter sunlit sky.
Six stories that are not entirely made of suspense, or even romance or tragedy. Rather, six beautiful, haunting, richly suspenseful, romantic and even elegiac stories that leave the reader at the end with a swirling blend of these feelings at the same time.
Each story is more melancholic, intense, brilliantly crafted and indelible than the last and while I am perfectly aware that one of them got filmed as a seminal horror film by a master filmmaker (no, Daphne dear, even he cannot better you, darling), I will always treasure what you wrote first and as a favor to the uninitiated, I am not revealing even the names so that the suspense, horror and brilliance remain intact and untouched. How dare does anyone spoil it all!
And these stories feature an extraordinary cast of people to be found in the most vivid dreams and the most horrifying nightmares. No creatures or ghouls. No monsters or aliens. No zombies or vampires. Just men and women, driven to the edge of reason and evil by their crazy, selfish, greedy, inscrutable hearts.
There are men weighed down with the burden of their toxic masculinity, there are other men who are struggling nobly against forces that they cannot quite fathom, there are women who are sad-eyed and yet eloquent, there are women who claw and struggle for escape and there are many femme fatales to be found lurking in the shadows with their own heart-breaking secrets. (Who, I ask now aloud, can create femme fatales as brilliantly as you do, Daphne?)
And so, we are taken along on a mesmeric dance of beauty and terror, into the sweeping seaside and menacing, mysterious mountains, deep inside melancholic woods and on the desolate streets of London, set to the music of the weeping willows and the roaring gulls, the crash of waves on rocks and the drop of rain on the pavements. Oh, it's positively lovely, like sin, like the night, like death.'
I hope you liked it, Daphne. Now, I urge you again, let's fall in love. Let's go on a date some night, preferably in a double-deck bus (they have those too in my city as well), and dance a waltz among the graves in the night. Or rather let's go to the countryside, perhaps to the coast (my city is by the sea already) and sit there to listen to the gulls and the waves. And perhaps then, we can feel that love engulfing our hearts too. And we can then stare each other down over dinner. Just make sure that they don't serve apple pie for dessert.
And I imagine your reply.
'But, you are so busy in the company of those... men. That man with the name of a colour! I know he writes brilliantly and I admire that film he wrote as well but can't you leave him for a while, on his lascivious, lusty hunt for pot and drink and women across the world? That is not that dignified a thing to do, you know! And what about that bearded wizard who writes the funny papers as if they are novels? He is up to no good too! And what about that India-loving imperialist poet? I know he writes beautifully, no matter what he thinks of the Raj! But still, how can you admire him so much?'
And I lower my head humbly and with a faint voice of sad indecisiveness, I admit that they are family, crazy as they might be, but I cannot leave them completely. And that does it. You are already walking away and I go down on my knees and beg you to stay.
Oh, how I wish I had been a better man, a better lover, Daphne darling! Please be mine.
With Love,
Zoeb"
September 12, 2023
Absolutely and positively terrifying. As scary as the film. Maybe scarier.
I don't know how many of you have seen the classic film "The Birds" but this is the short story and man is it dark and absolutely horrifying And so REAL. If I had to describe it with one word it would be "brooding."
I love how the farm, the dark sea with the waves crashing are described. But the birds -- and their terrifiying sound -- I mean it's just genuinely frightening. If this story does not scare you, I admire your bravery.
The utter helplessness and being so cut off from humanity is so strong. I saw the movie so long ago but I will never forget all those birds. It was a sight that can still send shivers down the spine and though I suspect I may have read this early in life, I just read it now and man i mean it is JUST as scary all grown up. It's terror is unrelenting. It's scarier than any slasher flick because it's so atmospheric and real and the reader feels as helpless as the characters are.
I give it 3.5 stars. Not my favorite book in the world but absolutely one of the most genuinely tense experiences.
I don't know how many of you have seen the classic film "The Birds" but this is the short story and man is it dark and absolutely horrifying And so REAL. If I had to describe it with one word it would be "brooding."
I love how the farm, the dark sea with the waves crashing are described. But the birds -- and their terrifiying sound -- I mean it's just genuinely frightening. If this story does not scare you, I admire your bravery.
The utter helplessness and being so cut off from humanity is so strong. I saw the movie so long ago but I will never forget all those birds. It was a sight that can still send shivers down the spine and though I suspect I may have read this early in life, I just read it now and man i mean it is JUST as scary all grown up. It's terror is unrelenting. It's scarier than any slasher flick because it's so atmospheric and real and the reader feels as helpless as the characters are.
I give it 3.5 stars. Not my favorite book in the world but absolutely one of the most genuinely tense experiences.
October 14, 2021
4**** altogether!
Death should be different. It should be like bidding farewell to someone at a station before a long journey, but without the strain.
Altogether I really enjoyed this mix- I love Daphne Du Maurier’s writing and the atmosphere she captures. I’ll break down each story:
The birds- 4.5****: this was so much more savage than the film and was left open ended- will Nat and his family survive!? These birds were still raging at the end of this short 40 pages and Du Maurier perfectly captured the apocalyptic feel.
Monte Verita- 4.5****: this one interested me so much! A mysterious and hidden sect at the top of a mountain- rumours of magic, immortality, and whether they prey to a god or a devil? Women going missing in the villages and never seen again. Anna, one of the characters in this book, was very intriguing and strange.
The Apple Tree-4****. A neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree beyond the grave. Yes I did just write that- but Du Maurier writes with a fantastic gothic atmosphere there isn’t any cheesiness to it. There’s a sadness (as she definitely deserved so much better!).
The little photographer-3.5****. Du Maurier captured the passion and lust exquisitely in this of what should be a holiday fling, but of course it’s Du Maurier, so it’s never something that simple.
Kiss me again,stranger- 4****. I found this one very different from the previous ones. Du Maurier captured the voice of this one spectacularly- he was the MC who was more working class and younger and you could tell the shift in writing from her previous stories. The MC meets a girl, consider it love at first sight, but this girl is something more mysterious than the typical girl he would meet.
The Old Man-3*** probably my least favourite of these stories but it was also the shortest. A man looking at a dysfunctional family with a raging head of family.
Death should be different. It should be like bidding farewell to someone at a station before a long journey, but without the strain.
Altogether I really enjoyed this mix- I love Daphne Du Maurier’s writing and the atmosphere she captures. I’ll break down each story:
The birds- 4.5****: this was so much more savage than the film and was left open ended- will Nat and his family survive!? These birds were still raging at the end of this short 40 pages and Du Maurier perfectly captured the apocalyptic feel.
Monte Verita- 4.5****: this one interested me so much! A mysterious and hidden sect at the top of a mountain- rumours of magic, immortality, and whether they prey to a god or a devil? Women going missing in the villages and never seen again. Anna, one of the characters in this book, was very intriguing and strange.
The Apple Tree-4****. A neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree beyond the grave. Yes I did just write that- but Du Maurier writes with a fantastic gothic atmosphere there isn’t any cheesiness to it. There’s a sadness (as she definitely deserved so much better!).
The little photographer-3.5****. Du Maurier captured the passion and lust exquisitely in this of what should be a holiday fling, but of course it’s Du Maurier, so it’s never something that simple.
Kiss me again,stranger- 4****. I found this one very different from the previous ones. Du Maurier captured the voice of this one spectacularly- he was the MC who was more working class and younger and you could tell the shift in writing from her previous stories. The MC meets a girl, consider it love at first sight, but this girl is something more mysterious than the typical girl he would meet.
The Old Man-3*** probably my least favourite of these stories but it was also the shortest. A man looking at a dysfunctional family with a raging head of family.
June 19, 2018
I watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds as a child, and now I read the original story for the first time.
LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/horror-bird-En...
LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/film-alfred-hi...
(1) The Birds: Of course it is the best story! The sense of dread and tension is priceless! And the depressing ending is also brillant too!
(2) Monte Verità: I honestly don't know what this story is about, perhaps it is du Maurier's way of expressing her homosexuality and the desire to break from the mundane of the normal society.
Kiss Me Again, Stranger: it is the story I like best after The Birds, it is about a young man having a date with a young girl he had just met in the cinema. I like how the young man's feeling of anticipation, nervousness and infatuation is described by the author, plus the plot keeps me guessing at who this girl really is (is she a ghost?) and the ending still took me completely by surprise: .
The Old Man: the story is so short but it is so unsettling and it is scary to think just some 70 or 80 years ago, parents could basically just turn their barely adult children out of the house to fend for themselves.
LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/horror-bird-En...
LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/film-alfred-hi...
(1) The Birds: Of course it is the best story! The sense of dread and tension is priceless! And the depressing ending is also brillant too!
(2) Monte Verità: I honestly don't know what this story is about, perhaps it is du Maurier's way of expressing her homosexuality and the desire to break from the mundane of the normal society.
Kiss Me Again, Stranger: it is the story I like best after The Birds, it is about a young man having a date with a young girl he had just met in the cinema. I like how the young man's feeling of anticipation, nervousness and infatuation is described by the author, plus the plot keeps me guessing at who this girl really is (is she a ghost?) and the ending still took me completely by surprise: .
The Old Man: the story is so short but it is so unsettling and it is scary to think just some 70 or 80 years ago, parents could basically just turn their barely adult children out of the house to fend for themselves.
April 3, 2024
Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel are two of my favorite novels. And even though du Maurier is no favorite writer of mine, I was curious to check out a lot more from her. She's mostly known for her four Cornish novels, but has made a name for herself through her shorter fiction as well, especially "The Birds", a story that was turned into an iconic movie by Alfred Hitchcock, is widely known.
And what can I say? This collection of six short stories is SOLID. "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" is the only meh one. The rest is either good or great. Reviewing this book three months after the fact also made me realise how memorable the other five stories are. Like, I think about them all the time. "Monte Verità" is the standout, of course, with writing reminiscent of Rebecca (du Maurier at her peak, if you'd ask me), but the horror of "The Birds" is bone-chilling, the twist of "The Old Man" stays with you, and the audacity of the protagonists of "The Apple Tree" and "The Little Photographer" is striking and impossible to forget.
"The Birds" (4 stars) is set in du Maurier's home county of Cornwall shortly after the end of the Second World War. We witness as Nat Hocken, a disabled war veteran, his family and community come under the lethal attack from flocks of birds. This story truly fucked with my brain because, bestie babes, I HATE BIRDS. I know it's not a popular thing to say but these shits terrify me. Having them literally gang up on this community, breaking into people's houses, and murdering people left and right (HIDE YO KIDS, HIDE YO WIFE, NAT!) had me at the edge of my seat. I love how du Maurier told this story because she truly makes you feel the horror that this family feels, as well as the exasperation that Nat feels when he realises that A) some members of the community act so irresponsibly, thereby endangering their lives (bestie babes, they end up dead, what can I tell you) and B) the government is of no help whatsoever and the people have to face this threat on their own. It is rough.
Nat is such a hero though, and if I had to choose, I would choose his house to live in during this plague. It's somewhat patriarchal that he's the only one in his family who knows what's up (his wife's kinda useless in this situation, but that's very me coded, so imma keep my mouth shut). I also reeeaaaallly love the ending ("I'll smoke that last fag.") because it foreshadows that no matter how much power Nat assumes in his household to protect his family, he knows it is meaningless, the birds will get them all eventually. Ahhhh.
"Monte Verità" (5 stars) tells of an isolated mountain, home to a mysterious sect rumoured to be immortal and feared by the local communities from whom it attracts young women who are never heard of again. It is told from the viewpoint of a nameless mountaineer whose best friend's wife disappears on a trip to climb the peak.
"Monte Verità" is one of those stories that's too good to be true. Du Maurier's writing is delicious, her characterisation flawless, the plot intriguing and satisfying. It's just a perfect story. And besties, I have a lot of quotes to share: "They told me afterwards they had found nothing. No trace of anyone, living or dead .Maddened by anger, and I believe by fear, they had succeeded at last in breaking into those forbidden walls, dreaded and shunned through countless years - to be met by silence. Frustrated, bewildered, frightened, driven to fury at the sight of those empty cells, that bare court, the valley people resorted to the primitive methods that have served so many peasants through so many centuries: fire and destruction." And this is only the first sentence!!! In general, it's worthwhile to reread the story once you know how it goes because it isn't told chronologically and there's a lot of foreshadowing in the beginning. Also, "Let Victor keep his dream." is very "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."-coded and you can't convince me otherwise.
"‘I don't know. I try not to think about it. All I cling to is that Anna said she had found what she was searching for, that she was happy. I'm not going to destroy that happiness.’" Besties, the way this has me crying in the club right now. This story is so fucking tragiccc. Victor is such a good husband. Can't say the same about our narrator though, lmao. Anna telling him: "If I've destroyed the fantasy you made of me, forgive me." Damn. Cracked.
"The Apple Tree" (4 stars) follows the actions of a man who is recently widowed. Following his wife's death, the man revels in his new freedom, not mourning his wife at all – he even remembers with some nostalgia the pretty land girl he once kissed some years earlier. There's one thing that spoils his new-found happiness though: the apple tree in his garden long thought to be barren begins to show signs of new life. When the tree starts to produce apples, the fruit taste fine to everyone but the widower for whom it tastes disgusting. The man starts to hate the tree with an all consuming bitterness, he sees it overshadowing the smaller, younger prettier trees next to it, stealing the very life from them. He is convinced that the malign spirit of his dead wife has possessed it. He eventually cuts it down, with tragic consequence.
This story was something else and our protagonist is one shady how. I swear to God it's impossible to feel sorry for him. The glee he feels after his wife's death? Could not be me. She had every right to haunt his ass.
"The Little Photographer" (4 stars) tells of a rich Marquise bored and dissatisfied with her life who attempts to spice up her life by having an affair with a photographer whilst holidaying on the French Mediterranean coast. Her husband has remained at home to attend to business. She is bored and restless, many of her friends have had passing liaisons which they tell her about and make sound so exciting. On a visit to the village she meets a young photographer and hires him to take photos of her and the children. They start meeting up in the hot afternoons, while everyone else rests. However, the photographer soon gets too attached and starts speaking of following the Marquise home. When push comes to shove (quite literally, lmao), everything goes terribly wrong.
This one was great. It's a bit sexy and risqué (du Maurier doing her thang) but it's also giving Fitzgerald and rich, privileged people who don't know what to do with her free time, so you're in for a treat. I loved the twists and turns (so much drama at the end!) but my favorite quote is probably: "Enfin, he is a man, he will get over it." BECAUSE SAME.
"Kiss Me Again, Stranger" (3 stars) relates an episode in which a shy mechanic follows a cinema usherette home from work, and is led to a cemetery. Only later does the mechanic discover the terrible truth about her. I honestly didn't care for this story at all. 3 stars is probably generous but the episode set in the graveyard was unnerving as hell. Literally don't have anything of substance to say about this.
The final story, "The Old Man" (4 stars) follows a family history as told by a neighbour who suspects the father of killing one of their children. There's not much more to say without giving too much away. Just read it. The entire collection is worth your time, SO PICK IT UP!
And what can I say? This collection of six short stories is SOLID. "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" is the only meh one. The rest is either good or great. Reviewing this book three months after the fact also made me realise how memorable the other five stories are. Like, I think about them all the time. "Monte Verità" is the standout, of course, with writing reminiscent of Rebecca (du Maurier at her peak, if you'd ask me), but the horror of "The Birds" is bone-chilling, the twist of "The Old Man" stays with you, and the audacity of the protagonists of "The Apple Tree" and "The Little Photographer" is striking and impossible to forget.
"The Birds" (4 stars) is set in du Maurier's home county of Cornwall shortly after the end of the Second World War. We witness as Nat Hocken, a disabled war veteran, his family and community come under the lethal attack from flocks of birds. This story truly fucked with my brain because, bestie babes, I HATE BIRDS. I know it's not a popular thing to say but these shits terrify me. Having them literally gang up on this community, breaking into people's houses, and murdering people left and right (HIDE YO KIDS, HIDE YO WIFE, NAT!) had me at the edge of my seat. I love how du Maurier told this story because she truly makes you feel the horror that this family feels, as well as the exasperation that Nat feels when he realises that A) some members of the community act so irresponsibly, thereby endangering their lives (bestie babes, they end up dead, what can I tell you) and B) the government is of no help whatsoever and the people have to face this threat on their own. It is rough.
Nat is such a hero though, and if I had to choose, I would choose his house to live in during this plague. It's somewhat patriarchal that he's the only one in his family who knows what's up (his wife's kinda useless in this situation, but that's very me coded, so imma keep my mouth shut). I also reeeaaaallly love the ending ("I'll smoke that last fag.") because it foreshadows that no matter how much power Nat assumes in his household to protect his family, he knows it is meaningless, the birds will get them all eventually. Ahhhh.
"Monte Verità" (5 stars) tells of an isolated mountain, home to a mysterious sect rumoured to be immortal and feared by the local communities from whom it attracts young women who are never heard of again. It is told from the viewpoint of a nameless mountaineer whose best friend's wife disappears on a trip to climb the peak.
"Monte Verità" is one of those stories that's too good to be true. Du Maurier's writing is delicious, her characterisation flawless, the plot intriguing and satisfying. It's just a perfect story. And besties, I have a lot of quotes to share: "They told me afterwards they had found nothing. No trace of anyone, living or dead .Maddened by anger, and I believe by fear, they had succeeded at last in breaking into those forbidden walls, dreaded and shunned through countless years - to be met by silence. Frustrated, bewildered, frightened, driven to fury at the sight of those empty cells, that bare court, the valley people resorted to the primitive methods that have served so many peasants through so many centuries: fire and destruction." And this is only the first sentence!!! In general, it's worthwhile to reread the story once you know how it goes because it isn't told chronologically and there's a lot of foreshadowing in the beginning. Also, "Let Victor keep his dream." is very "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."-coded and you can't convince me otherwise.
"‘I don't know. I try not to think about it. All I cling to is that Anna said she had found what she was searching for, that she was happy. I'm not going to destroy that happiness.’" Besties, the way this has me crying in the club right now. This story is so fucking tragiccc. Victor is such a good husband. Can't say the same about our narrator though, lmao. Anna telling him: "If I've destroyed the fantasy you made of me, forgive me." Damn. Cracked.
"The Apple Tree" (4 stars) follows the actions of a man who is recently widowed. Following his wife's death, the man revels in his new freedom, not mourning his wife at all – he even remembers with some nostalgia the pretty land girl he once kissed some years earlier. There's one thing that spoils his new-found happiness though: the apple tree in his garden long thought to be barren begins to show signs of new life. When the tree starts to produce apples, the fruit taste fine to everyone but the widower for whom it tastes disgusting. The man starts to hate the tree with an all consuming bitterness, he sees it overshadowing the smaller, younger prettier trees next to it, stealing the very life from them. He is convinced that the malign spirit of his dead wife has possessed it. He eventually cuts it down, with tragic consequence.
This story was something else and our protagonist is one shady how. I swear to God it's impossible to feel sorry for him. The glee he feels after his wife's death? Could not be me. She had every right to haunt his ass.
"The Little Photographer" (4 stars) tells of a rich Marquise bored and dissatisfied with her life who attempts to spice up her life by having an affair with a photographer whilst holidaying on the French Mediterranean coast. Her husband has remained at home to attend to business. She is bored and restless, many of her friends have had passing liaisons which they tell her about and make sound so exciting. On a visit to the village she meets a young photographer and hires him to take photos of her and the children. They start meeting up in the hot afternoons, while everyone else rests. However, the photographer soon gets too attached and starts speaking of following the Marquise home. When push comes to shove (quite literally, lmao), everything goes terribly wrong.
This one was great. It's a bit sexy and risqué (du Maurier doing her thang) but it's also giving Fitzgerald and rich, privileged people who don't know what to do with her free time, so you're in for a treat. I loved the twists and turns (so much drama at the end!) but my favorite quote is probably: "Enfin, he is a man, he will get over it." BECAUSE SAME.
"Kiss Me Again, Stranger" (3 stars) relates an episode in which a shy mechanic follows a cinema usherette home from work, and is led to a cemetery. Only later does the mechanic discover the terrible truth about her. I honestly didn't care for this story at all. 3 stars is probably generous but the episode set in the graveyard was unnerving as hell. Literally don't have anything of substance to say about this.
The final story, "The Old Man" (4 stars) follows a family history as told by a neighbour who suspects the father of killing one of their children. There's not much more to say without giving too much away. Just read it. The entire collection is worth your time, SO PICK IT UP!
December 4, 2019
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: December 17, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Language: English
ASIN: B00GR5N2Q6
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 3848
208 pages
The Birds and Other Stories was originally published in 1952 as "The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Several Long Stories". In 1963 Penguin published a new edition as "The Birds and Other Stories.". Also in 1963, Alfred Hitchcock released his movie adaptation of "The Birds." Another story from this collection, "Kiss Me Again Stranger" was a 1953 CBS television program.
Editors Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas reviewed the collection in the May 1953 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Among other things they found that nearly half the work fell into the fantasy genre with some being close to science fiction with most being "largely overlong and not too original.". I found this to be largely true with "The Birds" and "Kiss Me Again Stranger" being notable exceptions.
The forward to this edition, by British writer David Thomson, can not match the elegance of du Maurier but does demonstrate some of why Thomson has been called such things as the greatest living film critic and historian. Thomson, as might be expected, writes more about cinema than du Maurier's stories. He concentrates on Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" but he also provides looks at other du Maurier works which Hitchcock adapted to cinema. Thomson reveals fascinating information about how Alfred Hitchcock made movies. He also offers some insight into differences between authors and directors. The forward is almost worth the modest price of this Kindle edition.
My word du Maurier could write prose. The first few pages of "The Birds" have an elegance, a way with words that I can only wish for but at this late date in my life never achieve. But then very few can or have. Along with this wondrous prose there is also du Maurier's ability to tell a story and create characters which draw in the reader. All, taken together, make "The Birds" gripping reading and definitely worth the price of the Kindle edition.
In the second story, wondrous prose can not prevent "Monte Veritas", from meandering along tediously until it finally ends. The end proves to have not been worth the journey. At least not worth it to me. It is one of those stories which I find to be almost pointless. Besides, so much of the ending is given away at the beginning that there are few surprises. Perhaps I would feel differently were the story shorter. It would be easy to cut it by about 25% without losing anything of note. A person of skill could probably could it by half. "The Birds" is tense and gripping. Monte Veritas is not.
"The Apple Tree" begins much like an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. If this had been Hitchcock, the husband, who finds his wife tiresome and unpleasant, would have murdered her. But in this story she dies of natural causes and even in death will not leave the poor man in peace. An interesting story which I found overly long with too much buildup and too little action.
"The Little Photographer" is an engaging story of boredom, adultery and the unintended consequences.
"Kiss Me Again Stranger" is a nice bit of horror which builds slowly to an almost inevitable ending. But is it going to be supernatural or psychological? The reader does not know what is going to happen but does know that it won't be good.
"The Old Man" is a peculiar, unexpected sort of story. Of course it won't appeal to all but I liked it in a mild sort of way.
Publication date: December 17, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Language: English
ASIN: B00GR5N2Q6
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 3848
208 pages
The Birds and Other Stories was originally published in 1952 as "The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Several Long Stories". In 1963 Penguin published a new edition as "The Birds and Other Stories.". Also in 1963, Alfred Hitchcock released his movie adaptation of "The Birds." Another story from this collection, "Kiss Me Again Stranger" was a 1953 CBS television program.
Editors Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas reviewed the collection in the May 1953 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Among other things they found that nearly half the work fell into the fantasy genre with some being close to science fiction with most being "largely overlong and not too original.". I found this to be largely true with "The Birds" and "Kiss Me Again Stranger" being notable exceptions.
The forward to this edition, by British writer David Thomson, can not match the elegance of du Maurier but does demonstrate some of why Thomson has been called such things as the greatest living film critic and historian. Thomson, as might be expected, writes more about cinema than du Maurier's stories. He concentrates on Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" but he also provides looks at other du Maurier works which Hitchcock adapted to cinema. Thomson reveals fascinating information about how Alfred Hitchcock made movies. He also offers some insight into differences between authors and directors. The forward is almost worth the modest price of this Kindle edition.
My word du Maurier could write prose. The first few pages of "The Birds" have an elegance, a way with words that I can only wish for but at this late date in my life never achieve. But then very few can or have. Along with this wondrous prose there is also du Maurier's ability to tell a story and create characters which draw in the reader. All, taken together, make "The Birds" gripping reading and definitely worth the price of the Kindle edition.
In the second story, wondrous prose can not prevent "Monte Veritas", from meandering along tediously until it finally ends. The end proves to have not been worth the journey. At least not worth it to me. It is one of those stories which I find to be almost pointless. Besides, so much of the ending is given away at the beginning that there are few surprises. Perhaps I would feel differently were the story shorter. It would be easy to cut it by about 25% without losing anything of note. A person of skill could probably could it by half. "The Birds" is tense and gripping. Monte Veritas is not.
"The Apple Tree" begins much like an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. If this had been Hitchcock, the husband, who finds his wife tiresome and unpleasant, would have murdered her. But in this story she dies of natural causes and even in death will not leave the poor man in peace. An interesting story which I found overly long with too much buildup and too little action.
"The Little Photographer" is an engaging story of boredom, adultery and the unintended consequences.
"Kiss Me Again Stranger" is a nice bit of horror which builds slowly to an almost inevitable ending. But is it going to be supernatural or psychological? The reader does not know what is going to happen but does know that it won't be good.
"The Old Man" is a peculiar, unexpected sort of story. Of course it won't appeal to all but I liked it in a mild sort of way.
May 8, 2023
If you haven't had a chance to read something by Daphne du Maurier, this is a great way to start.
The Birds and Other Stories are 6 short stories that are all equally good but yet different in plot. My favorites would have to be The Little Photographer, The Apple Tree and The Birds.
The Birds - 4 stars
Monte Verità - 4 stars
The Apple Tree - 4 stars
The Little Photographer - 4/4.5 stars
Kiss Me Again, Stranger - 3.5/4 stars
The Old Man - 4 stars
I'm excited to get to more books by du Maurier after reading this collection!
The Birds and Other Stories are 6 short stories that are all equally good but yet different in plot. My favorites would have to be The Little Photographer, The Apple Tree and The Birds.
The Birds - 4 stars
Monte Verità - 4 stars
The Apple Tree - 4 stars
The Little Photographer - 4/4.5 stars
Kiss Me Again, Stranger - 3.5/4 stars
The Old Man - 4 stars
I'm excited to get to more books by du Maurier after reading this collection!
February 9, 2023
4.75 ⭐
Wow te opowiadania były genialne.
Wow te opowiadania były genialne.
February 18, 2017
A unique and bizarre collection of entertaining short stories that certainly ends on a shockingly good high note!
The Birds: Much less to the storyline than the well-known Hitchcock movie version.....with the exception of the killer birds, but still creepy good with an old cottage on a farm for a setting and blustery winter winds to add to the eerie suspense of attack.......but oh so short! (I wanted more)
Monte Verita: This was definitely my least favorite (and unfortunately the longest) of the six shorts. The beginning did grab my attention with the mysterious mountain and disappearances, but fell short for me in the end.
The Apple Tree: There once was a crooked old woman.....who looked like a crooked old tree.....who drove her hubby to madness.....so they could forever be. Hauntingly Good!
The Little Photographer: When a bored, rich marquise on holiday lures a hard-working sole to the beach (during siesta time) .....mucho trouble begins.
Kiss Me Again Stranger: An innocent first encounter with an alluringly unusual movie usherette (with a liking for cemeteries) turns into a killer of a first date for an unsuspecting auto mechanic.
The Old Man: As a voyeur neighbor secretly watches a family living in squalor on the beach, he witnesses a horror that turns unbelievably magical. The ending blew me away! By far the best of the collection!
October 13, 2017
This was my first time reading a Du Maurier book and I think this was a very good place to start. I feel like I got a good glimpse into various different stories that Du Maurier has written, and I particularly loved the title story: The Birds. This was my favourite because of the horror elements and the atmosphere that just really built over the course of the tale. I really would recommend reading that if nothing else, but many of the others were also very strong.
The Birds - This story is definitely what I look for in a short story. It's creepy, ominous, eerie, and yet it also has a character you can sympathise with. The story is fast-moving, the threat looms, and the slightly detached feeling of dread sweeping the nation lends this a sense of the surreal. Definitely food for thought, what if this really did happen, how would we survive?? Even today it would be hard to! - 5*s
Monte Verita - Definitely a more gothic exploration based tale. I like the concept of the convent in the mountain. I think it's harder for me to connect with something I've never done, but I enjoyed this all the same. 3.5*s
The Apple Tree - a good story if a slightly predictable one. I enjoy the atmosphere that Du Maurier is so good at creating :) 3.5*
The Little Photographer - very French, very lustrous, very sinister :) I liked it 3*s
Kiss me again stranger - Liked this one a lot. it was shorter but the first person made it easy to get into and there was a cooler storyline overall. Menacing ladies and silly young men. - 4*s
The Old Man - well that was a corker! I didn't see the ending coming, but it was a good little tale overall too and I like first person more I think. Reminded me a little of Of mice and Men with the isolation themes. 4*s
I would certainly recommend this collection, even though it has some I didn't love as much, and I think I may pick up more of her work in future if The Birds is anything to go by! I would give it a 4*s overall :)
The Birds - This story is definitely what I look for in a short story. It's creepy, ominous, eerie, and yet it also has a character you can sympathise with. The story is fast-moving, the threat looms, and the slightly detached feeling of dread sweeping the nation lends this a sense of the surreal. Definitely food for thought, what if this really did happen, how would we survive?? Even today it would be hard to! - 5*s
Monte Verita - Definitely a more gothic exploration based tale. I like the concept of the convent in the mountain. I think it's harder for me to connect with something I've never done, but I enjoyed this all the same. 3.5*s
The Apple Tree - a good story if a slightly predictable one. I enjoy the atmosphere that Du Maurier is so good at creating :) 3.5*
The Little Photographer - very French, very lustrous, very sinister :) I liked it 3*s
Kiss me again stranger - Liked this one a lot. it was shorter but the first person made it easy to get into and there was a cooler storyline overall. Menacing ladies and silly young men. - 4*s
The Old Man - well that was a corker! I didn't see the ending coming, but it was a good little tale overall too and I like first person more I think. Reminded me a little of Of mice and Men with the isolation themes. 4*s
I would certainly recommend this collection, even though it has some I didn't love as much, and I think I may pick up more of her work in future if The Birds is anything to go by! I would give it a 4*s overall :)
February 14, 2023
Tytułowe Ptaki dobrze znałam, ale pozostałe opowiadania były dla mnie nowością. I rany, jak mi się one podobały ❤️ Monte Verita dla mnie wygrało cały ten zbiór. Fenomenalne opowiadanie, czytałam jak odurzona. Jabłonka i Fotograf też niesamowicie do mnie trafiły. Obłędnie klimatyczne, wciągające, pomysłowe. Zakochałam się 🥹
Za to nie podobały mi się dwa ostatnie opowiadania, niestety tutaj zauważyłam tendencję spadkową, co nie znaczy oczywiście, że ich nie doceniam.
Za to nie podobały mi się dwa ostatnie opowiadania, niestety tutaj zauważyłam tendencję spadkową, co nie znaczy oczywiście, że ich nie doceniam.
July 11, 2018
A engaging mix with a fair amount of noir storytelling!
I have been wanting to read The Birds for awhile after finding out that Daphne du Maurier was the writer of this short story, which Hitchcock made legend, as well as Rebecca & many others. The Foreword enlightened me of the Hitchcock/ Daphne connection & that was her actor father who Hitchcock knew through the theatre. I had heard the radio adaption which comes closer than the film, which was more romantic centered which the story was pure horror & with regards to that rang true. I enjoyed the other stories which The Little Photographer was my favorite, about a lady in want of an affair with untold results. Monte Verita, is Daphne's version of Hilton's Lost Horizon. The Apple Tree is my next favorite about a man, his disappointed marriage & an Apple Tree. Kiss Me Stranger is an really dark story of a disturbed girl during World War 2. The Old Man, a really short sad story about a family. Always love reading her stories.
OTR Escape July 10, 1954
https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com...
I have been wanting to read The Birds for awhile after finding out that Daphne du Maurier was the writer of this short story, which Hitchcock made legend, as well as Rebecca & many others. The Foreword enlightened me of the Hitchcock/ Daphne connection & that was her actor father who Hitchcock knew through the theatre. I had heard the radio adaption which comes closer than the film, which was more romantic centered which the story was pure horror & with regards to that rang true. I enjoyed the other stories which The Little Photographer was my favorite, about a lady in want of an affair with untold results. Monte Verita, is Daphne's version of Hilton's Lost Horizon. The Apple Tree is my next favorite about a man, his disappointed marriage & an Apple Tree. Kiss Me Stranger is an really dark story of a disturbed girl during World War 2. The Old Man, a really short sad story about a family. Always love reading her stories.
OTR Escape July 10, 1954
https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com...
May 24, 2024
I thouroughly enjoyed pre-season these stories, it reminded me just what a great story teller Daphne Dr Maurier was. I always think short stories would be The hardest to get right. The Birds was definitely my favourite, The Apple Tree was another eerie story. Makes me want to pick up another of her novels.
The introduction to this new issue was interesting and safe to read without giving away spoilers as it concentrated on during Maurier film adaptations.
*Many thanks to Netgalley and Virago for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
Re-read 23/05/2024.
5* for The Birds, 4* for the rest. A very good collection.
The introduction to this new issue was interesting and safe to read without giving away spoilers as it concentrated on during Maurier film adaptations.
*Many thanks to Netgalley and Virago for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
Re-read 23/05/2024.
5* for The Birds, 4* for the rest. A very good collection.
February 28, 2023
Klasyczna groza na poziomie, gdzie od brutalności ważniejszy jest klimat. Uwielbiam!
January 5, 2023
Month of October 2022 - Spooky Classics
“The Birds and Other Stories” by Daphne du Maurier (1952 & 1953; 2013 Kindle Edition).
This ebook includes the following short stories:
- “The Birds” p. 12-54
- “Monte Verità, p. 55-135
- “The Apple Tree”, p. 136-186
- “The Little Photographer”, p. 187-237
- “Kiss Me Again, Stranger”, p. 239-266
- “The old Man”, p. 267-279
Currently, I have only read “The Birds” and will come back at a later date to finish this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Birds (p. 12-54)
Setting: London
3.5 stars rounded up. Not being much of a short story fan, I actually found myself being drawn into Nat Hoken, a farm worker out in the country, some 300 miles from London, and his family’s survival. I felt a bit of urgency of surviving each night and day as the tide shifted and the east wind suddenly started to bring in the hostile and killer seagulls from the sea, and turned all inland birds hostile against humans. I liked how this story focused on the one family’s survival versus a whole country, which, be assured, the birds were attacking everywhere.
There’s no rhyme or reason for the sudden attacks, and there’s, unfortunately, no ending either. The family makes it through another night while the birds are tap, tap, tapping on the boarded up windows of the house. In the morning, the end of the story, the birds are seen out on the ocean horizon waiting for the next tide to come in with the easterly wind. This gave the family roughly 8 hours to run around and get more supplies and take care of boarding up the house better before the next attack. I was disappointed. I wanted more. Maybe that’s the purpose of short stories.
Some believe the birds are symbolic of London being bombarded during World War II. There are only a couple of instances mentioned that might even insinuate this.
PAGE 32: When Nat was talking to his neighbor, trying to come up with a reason why the birds were suddenly attacking, the farmer says, “…Well, what do you make of it? They’re saying in town the Russians have done it. The Russians have poisoned the birds.” LOL! Some things never change.
AND
PAGE 53: Nat’s wife is distraught after the second night of birds and says, “Won’t America do something? They’ve always been our allies, haven’t they? Surely America will do something?”
Some sources say Daphne hated Alfred Hitchcock’s depiction of The Birds in film. Alfred Hitchcock wasn’t really interested in following storylines. He would skim through a story just once and determine if he liked the basic idea. If so, he would produce a movie on the “idea”, not the story. There was new technology just being discovered in filmmaking, and he wanted them to be put to good use. He claimed to not even remember what Daphne du Maurier’s, The Birds, was really about.
In the end, there’s no doubt Alfred Hitchcock’s movie was definitely based more on Daphne du Maurier’s novel, rather than Frank Baker’s. The setting and storyline were a bit different, even from Daphne’s novel:
1. Set in Bodega Bay, California
2. A new “love” interest story with a family, instead of a man, his wife and their child.
3. They didn’t know when the birds would attack. In du Maurier’s novel, the birds always attacked on the incoming tide and an easterly wind.
4. The novel ends with the birds all resting out in the ocean horizon, while the movie ends with the birds surrounding the house of the only survivors on Bodega Bay Island.
In my opinion, not too far off. But, the movie itself? Meh! Sometimes the acting cracked me up
***************UPDATED***************
Finished reading other stories:
10/24/2022 - 10/27/2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Monte Verità (p. 55-135)
Setting: Monte Verità, Europe* and London
Pronounced:
mont-ee vuh-ree-tä
*Author prefers not to say whether it’s in Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy or Tyrol.
Spoken in 1st person, a best friend, and mountain climbing buddy, to Victor and his new wife, Anna, of Shropshire.
The top of Monte Verità is considered a spiritual heaven in this novel. Certain random people are drawn to it during their lives, especially girls and women. Their hair is cropped short and they all dress the same in linen dress that comes down to the knees, and bare feet. There is no gender.
They don’t die, they simply disappear. They pray and worship the sun, which they believe gives them light and life. There is no “creed, no savior, and no deity”. (p. 126). Nothing worldly exists there at the top of Monte Verità. It is described to be a lot like Heaven would be, but without God or Jesus.
Anna was called to Monte Verità by the sacerdotesse, spirits high up in the mountain who reside in the monastery, which are never seen, and was, for some reason, deemed the highest deity over all who was there and who were to come. When Anna disappears, Victor spends his life, to his last dying breath in search of her.
The nameless narrator was called to Monte Verità towards the end of the story and was allowed inside the monastery for one last visual visit with Anna. He was to send last words to Victor, before he died, that she really was fine.
————————————————————
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Apple Tree (p. 136-186)
So they lived in two different worlds, their minds not meeting.
After 25 years of marriage, the pessimistic Midge, of course not the man, had developed some very annoying habits. And, when Midge dies of pneumonia, the man is finally free, free, free to do what he pleases.
But, he is reminded of her every time he looked out his window to see the old, miserable, dying apple tree that resembled his wife, Midge. The barbed wire wrapped around the trunk looked like her skirt, and the branches reaching up, then drooping, looked like her slumped, miserable shoulders. He wanted to get rid of it as well.
The man becomes a lonely miserable mess and has pushed away everyone else, including the help around the house, and he ends up alone, his nightly drinks at the bar down the road…because now his house is dark and unfriendly. He is in his own little selfish world, where he will die. Ha!
Unfortunately, the ending fell completely flat for me.
————————————————————
⭐️⭐️⭐️
”The Little Photographer” (p. 187-237)
A secret love affair that goes awry between Madame la Marquise and the photographer, Monsieur Paul.
Madame la Marquise had no excitements in her life. Sure, she was married to a very wealthy hard working man and had two beautiful young daughters, but her circle of friends had quick summer romances while on vacationing away from their husbands. She would like to try it.
She meets the little photographer with the club foot. The fling begins, but Monsieur Paul becomes way too attached to her. He says he will sell his business to his sister, who also has a club foot, and will follow her wherever she goes. Suddenly, the secret fun is over for her, and she comes out of her stupor. She’s married for Pete’s sake, and she realizes she’s got to get rid of him. So she did…by pushing him over the cliff of their secret meeting place.
Monsieur Paul’s sister had arrived at the hotel with a few semi-scandalous photos just before Madame la Marquise and the kids were leaving town. The ending insinuates that the beautiful Madame la Marquise will not get away with her secret summertime rendezvous because her husband, who arrived to pick her and the kids up, mentioned how sorry he was for the family, as having a clubfoot was hereditary.
————————————————————
⭐️⭐️⭐️
”Kiss Me Again, Stranger” (p. 239-266)
Okay, nice twist at the end of this little short romance. The man who kissed the beautiful stranger from the theater was very lucky he wasn’t in the Air Force, or else the stranger would have killed him instead of the military guy who was sitting at the cafe talking smut about women at 2:00 am in the morning.
———————————————
⭐️⭐️
“The old Man” (p. 267-279)
Even a short story should make some kind of sense. When an old man and his wife send their children away and then kills their own grown invalid son, who is slow and dependent on them, just so they can be alone together again, the author “tries” to get you to feel sorry for them. The old man and his wife sees the narrator burying their son. They embrace each other, seeing it’s over, and their son is buried, then went to the center of the lake. They each turned into beautiful swans and flew off into the setting sun. It was a beautiful sight…NOT!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ overall average for all stories.
“The Birds and Other Stories” by Daphne du Maurier (1952 & 1953; 2013 Kindle Edition).
This ebook includes the following short stories:
- “The Birds” p. 12-54
- “Monte Verità, p. 55-135
- “The Apple Tree”, p. 136-186
- “The Little Photographer”, p. 187-237
- “Kiss Me Again, Stranger”, p. 239-266
- “The old Man”, p. 267-279
Currently, I have only read “The Birds” and will come back at a later date to finish this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Birds (p. 12-54)
Setting: London
3.5 stars rounded up. Not being much of a short story fan, I actually found myself being drawn into Nat Hoken, a farm worker out in the country, some 300 miles from London, and his family’s survival. I felt a bit of urgency of surviving each night and day as the tide shifted and the east wind suddenly started to bring in the hostile and killer seagulls from the sea, and turned all inland birds hostile against humans. I liked how this story focused on the one family’s survival versus a whole country, which, be assured, the birds were attacking everywhere.
There’s no rhyme or reason for the sudden attacks, and there’s, unfortunately, no ending either. The family makes it through another night while the birds are tap, tap, tapping on the boarded up windows of the house. In the morning, the end of the story, the birds are seen out on the ocean horizon waiting for the next tide to come in with the easterly wind. This gave the family roughly 8 hours to run around and get more supplies and take care of boarding up the house better before the next attack. I was disappointed. I wanted more. Maybe that’s the purpose of short stories.
Some believe the birds are symbolic of London being bombarded during World War II. There are only a couple of instances mentioned that might even insinuate this.
PAGE 32: When Nat was talking to his neighbor, trying to come up with a reason why the birds were suddenly attacking, the farmer says, “…Well, what do you make of it? They’re saying in town the Russians have done it. The Russians have poisoned the birds.” LOL! Some things never change.
AND
PAGE 53: Nat’s wife is distraught after the second night of birds and says, “Won’t America do something? They’ve always been our allies, haven’t they? Surely America will do something?”
Some sources say Daphne hated Alfred Hitchcock’s depiction of The Birds in film. Alfred Hitchcock wasn’t really interested in following storylines. He would skim through a story just once and determine if he liked the basic idea. If so, he would produce a movie on the “idea”, not the story. There was new technology just being discovered in filmmaking, and he wanted them to be put to good use. He claimed to not even remember what Daphne du Maurier’s, The Birds, was really about.
In the end, there’s no doubt Alfred Hitchcock’s movie was definitely based more on Daphne du Maurier’s novel, rather than Frank Baker’s. The setting and storyline were a bit different, even from Daphne’s novel:
1. Set in Bodega Bay, California
2. A new “love” interest story with a family, instead of a man, his wife and their child.
3. They didn’t know when the birds would attack. In du Maurier’s novel, the birds always attacked on the incoming tide and an easterly wind.
4. The novel ends with the birds all resting out in the ocean horizon, while the movie ends with the birds surrounding the house of the only survivors on Bodega Bay Island.
In my opinion, not too far off. But, the movie itself? Meh! Sometimes the acting cracked me up
***************UPDATED***************
Finished reading other stories:
10/24/2022 - 10/27/2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Monte Verità (p. 55-135)
Setting: Monte Verità, Europe* and London
Pronounced:
mont-ee vuh-ree-tä
*Author prefers not to say whether it’s in Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy or Tyrol.
Spoken in 1st person, a best friend, and mountain climbing buddy, to Victor and his new wife, Anna, of Shropshire.
The top of Monte Verità is considered a spiritual heaven in this novel. Certain random people are drawn to it during their lives, especially girls and women. Their hair is cropped short and they all dress the same in linen dress that comes down to the knees, and bare feet. There is no gender.
They don’t die, they simply disappear. They pray and worship the sun, which they believe gives them light and life. There is no “creed, no savior, and no deity”. (p. 126). Nothing worldly exists there at the top of Monte Verità. It is described to be a lot like Heaven would be, but without God or Jesus.
Anna was called to Monte Verità by the sacerdotesse, spirits high up in the mountain who reside in the monastery, which are never seen, and was, for some reason, deemed the highest deity over all who was there and who were to come. When Anna disappears, Victor spends his life, to his last dying breath in search of her.
The nameless narrator was called to Monte Verità towards the end of the story and was allowed inside the monastery for one last visual visit with Anna. He was to send last words to Victor, before he died, that she really was fine.
————————————————————
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Apple Tree (p. 136-186)
So they lived in two different worlds, their minds not meeting.
After 25 years of marriage, the pessimistic Midge, of course not the man, had developed some very annoying habits. And, when Midge dies of pneumonia, the man is finally free, free, free to do what he pleases.
But, he is reminded of her every time he looked out his window to see the old, miserable, dying apple tree that resembled his wife, Midge. The barbed wire wrapped around the trunk looked like her skirt, and the branches reaching up, then drooping, looked like her slumped, miserable shoulders. He wanted to get rid of it as well.
The man becomes a lonely miserable mess and has pushed away everyone else, including the help around the house, and he ends up alone, his nightly drinks at the bar down the road…because now his house is dark and unfriendly. He is in his own little selfish world, where he will die. Ha!
Unfortunately, the ending fell completely flat for me.
————————————————————
⭐️⭐️⭐️
”The Little Photographer” (p. 187-237)
A secret love affair that goes awry between Madame la Marquise and the photographer, Monsieur Paul.
Madame la Marquise had no excitements in her life. Sure, she was married to a very wealthy hard working man and had two beautiful young daughters, but her circle of friends had quick summer romances while on vacationing away from their husbands. She would like to try it.
She meets the little photographer with the club foot. The fling begins, but Monsieur Paul becomes way too attached to her. He says he will sell his business to his sister, who also has a club foot, and will follow her wherever she goes. Suddenly, the secret fun is over for her, and she comes out of her stupor. She’s married for Pete’s sake, and she realizes she’s got to get rid of him. So she did…by pushing him over the cliff of their secret meeting place.
Monsieur Paul’s sister had arrived at the hotel with a few semi-scandalous photos just before Madame la Marquise and the kids were leaving town. The ending insinuates that the beautiful Madame la Marquise will not get away with her secret summertime rendezvous because her husband, who arrived to pick her and the kids up, mentioned how sorry he was for the family, as having a clubfoot was hereditary.
————————————————————
⭐️⭐️⭐️
”Kiss Me Again, Stranger” (p. 239-266)
Okay, nice twist at the end of this little short romance. The man who kissed the beautiful stranger from the theater was very lucky he wasn’t in the Air Force, or else the stranger would have killed him instead of the military guy who was sitting at the cafe talking smut about women at 2:00 am in the morning.
———————————————
⭐️⭐️
“The old Man” (p. 267-279)
Even a short story should make some kind of sense. When an old man and his wife send their children away and then kills their own grown invalid son, who is slow and dependent on them, just so they can be alone together again, the author “tries” to get you to feel sorry for them. The old man and his wife sees the narrator burying their son. They embrace each other, seeing it’s over, and their son is buried, then went to the center of the lake. They each turned into beautiful swans and flew off into the setting sun. It was a beautiful sight…NOT!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ overall average for all stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2019
This collection consists of several stories: The Birds, Monte Verita, The Apple Tree, The Little Photographer, Kiss Me Again, Stranger and The Old Man.
Now, I have seen the film version of, “The Birds,” many years ago, but it bears no resemblance to this story, set in a Cornish seaside town, in the depth of winter. Nat, a war veteran, is the only one who sees the danger the birds suddenly seem to represent, but, ultimately, this has no real resolution.
Monte Verita is an interesting tale of a sect on a mountain, plus the love that two men have for a woman. The Apple Tree is a creepy story, about an unhappy, unconsummated marriage, and the way an apple tree begins to resemble the wife, after her death. The Little Photographer is about a holiday dalliance, with terrible consequences. Kiss Me Again, Stranger, is a very good story about a mechanic, who finds love and has a lucky escape. The Old Man ends the collection on a magical note.
Overall, an interesting collection. I must say that the idea of The Birds worked really well. The sudden turning of innocuous creatures into violence; the sheer number of birds there are. The family, huddled in their cottage, with birds crashing against windows, doors and chimneys. Truly scary in concept, but it needed, in my opinion, more development. Still, I am glad I read the collection, even if I sometimes wanted more.
Now, I have seen the film version of, “The Birds,” many years ago, but it bears no resemblance to this story, set in a Cornish seaside town, in the depth of winter. Nat, a war veteran, is the only one who sees the danger the birds suddenly seem to represent, but, ultimately, this has no real resolution.
Monte Verita is an interesting tale of a sect on a mountain, plus the love that two men have for a woman. The Apple Tree is a creepy story, about an unhappy, unconsummated marriage, and the way an apple tree begins to resemble the wife, after her death. The Little Photographer is about a holiday dalliance, with terrible consequences. Kiss Me Again, Stranger, is a very good story about a mechanic, who finds love and has a lucky escape. The Old Man ends the collection on a magical note.
Overall, an interesting collection. I must say that the idea of The Birds worked really well. The sudden turning of innocuous creatures into violence; the sheer number of birds there are. The family, huddled in their cottage, with birds crashing against windows, doors and chimneys. Truly scary in concept, but it needed, in my opinion, more development. Still, I am glad I read the collection, even if I sometimes wanted more.
September 16, 2023
Easily my best read of 2023 this far. Being a massive fan of Hitchcock’s The Birds movie and being a massive fan of De Maurier, I can’t really explain why I didn’t get to this sooner (decades sooner, actually). The biggest discovery, though, is that “The Birds” isn’t even the best story in this collection and another one is that I really liked all of them. The writing is absolutely wonderful.
The Birds
First (not that I didn’t expect this to some extent) thing to note is how different the story is to the film - Hitchcock ran with the base idea only here and created a largely new context. Secondly, I was a bit surprised with how brutal and gritty the short story is - very effective and scary. It lacks a bit of De Maurier’s trademark flowing and beautiful prose, but the narrative style fits the story and I still enjoyed it very much.
Monte Verità
The best of the bunch - I devoured this surreal and beautiful, sad and moving story. The only thing stopping me from just starting over at the end was that I had 4 more stories to look forward to.
The Apple Tree
Is it a sister story to “The Tell-Tale Heart” or is it “real”? I think it’s both.
The Little Photographer
“Lady Chatterly” theme with a twist (or two).
Kiss Me Again, Stranger
Another amazingly atmospheric piece. I did not see that ending coming.
The Old Man
Talk about being surprised with an ending - she got me here. Did you see that one coming? Short, but really good.
The Birds
First (not that I didn’t expect this to some extent) thing to note is how different the story is to the film - Hitchcock ran with the base idea only here and created a largely new context. Secondly, I was a bit surprised with how brutal and gritty the short story is - very effective and scary. It lacks a bit of De Maurier’s trademark flowing and beautiful prose, but the narrative style fits the story and I still enjoyed it very much.
Monte Verità
The best of the bunch - I devoured this surreal and beautiful, sad and moving story. The only thing stopping me from just starting over at the end was that I had 4 more stories to look forward to.
The Apple Tree
Is it a sister story to “The Tell-Tale Heart” or is it “real”? I think it’s both.
The Little Photographer
“Lady Chatterly” theme with a twist (or two).
Kiss Me Again, Stranger
Another amazingly atmospheric piece. I did not see that ending coming.
The Old Man
Talk about being surprised with an ending - she got me here. Did you see that one coming? Short, but really good.
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