In her acclaimed debut, celebrated author Daphne du Maurier weaves a stunning tale of heartbreaking loss and undying love that knows no bounds. Janet, a fearless young woman of soaring strength, longs for the wildness and freedom of the sea. She feels herself pulled fast under its spell, yet she sacrifices her dreams in order to create a family. Years later, when she learns of her beloved son’s passion for the sea, Janet’s spirit awakens, haunting her family and stirring a chain of events that changes them forever.
Set in a rapturous creation of the Cornish countryside, The Loving Spirit is filled with adventure, courage, and an abiding sense of the romantic.
Dame Daphne du Maurier (Lady Browning) 1907 – 1989 DBE 1969, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Daphne was born in 1907, grand-daughter of the brilliant artist and writer George du Maurier, daughter of Gerald, the most famous Actor Manager of his day, she came from a creative and successful family.
The du Maurier family were touring Cornwall with the intention of buying a house for future holidays, when they came across “Swiss Cottage”, located adjacent to the ferry at Bodinnick. Falling in love with the cottage and its riverside location, they moved in on May 14th, 1927, Daphne had just turned 20.
She began writing short stories the following year, and in 1931 her first novel, The Loving Spirit was published. It received rave reviews and further books followed. Then came her most famous three novels, Jamaica Inn, Frenchman’s Creek and Rebecca. Each novel being inspired by her love of Cornwall, where she lived and wrote. (Taken from DaphneDuMaurier.org)
My Impressions:
The Loving Spirit is my church book club’s November selection. All of us remembered reading and loving Rebecca when we were in high school. Well for some of us that was 30-50 years ago! So we were really excited about reading her very first novel, The Loving Spirit. I am afraid from early discussions, the consensus is that this book is just weird. There are some good things about it, but the first of the book is just creepy, and that is creepy-bad not creepy-good. Not sure if it is just our modern outlook on things as opposed to the worldview of the 1930s. So I’ll hit the good and then share the bad.
First the story – Janet is a free spirit, longing to have adventures and sail the seas, but as a young woman in the 1830s she must settle for life as a wife and mother. She loves her husband and children, but the deep spiritual connection with her son, Joseph, keeps her dreams alive. The book spans the lives of four generations of Janet’s family – her son Joseph, grandson Christopher and great-granddaughter Jennifer. The restlessness found in Janet is repeated through the generations causing personal and relationship problems for all the characters. There is also a strand of betrayal and bitter hatred that Janet’s son Phillip brings to the story.
Good points — multi-generational saga, well-developed characters, good look at the struggles women faced from 1830s to 1930s, indictment of Victorian manners. Beautiful prose, interesting story. Amazing that this complex novel was written when du Maurier was just 24.
Bad points — creepy relationship between Janet and her son, Joseph. The relationship bordered on the incestuous, at least from a 21st century perspective. Spiritual ambiguity — existence of God, existence of eternal justice. Amorality and situational ethics.
Now to be fair, this novel is purely secular and the worldview does not line up with the traditional Christian worldview. I expect a good amount of discussion from our group, which is really what we are looking for.
Have you read The Loving Spirit? Let us know what you think.
(I purchased The Loving Spirit. All opinions are mine alone.)
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