The House on the Strand

She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification … She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction, and yet satisfied the exacting requirements of “real literature”, something very few novelists ever doHistorical science-fiction with heightened emotional drama, a very Oultander-like novel, if you will * Medium *The House on the Strand is prime du Maurier … She holds her characters close to reality; the past she creates is valid, hand her skill in finessing the time shifts is enough to make one want to try a little of the brew himself’ * New York Times *A compelling thriller … The interface between the two eras, the seductive danger and adventure of moving from one to the other, and finally the sense of the ground giving way beneath the narrator’s feet … feels electric – Bridget CollinsThe House on the Strand is prime du Maurier… . She holds her characters close to reality; the past she creates is valid, and her skill in finessing the time shifts is enough to make one want to try a little of the brew himself * New York Times *

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was born in London, England. In 1931 her first novel, The Loving Spirit was published. A biography of her father and three other novels followed, but it was the novel Rebecca that launched her into the literary stratosphere and made her one of the most popular authors of her day. In 1932, du Maurier married Major Frederick Browning with whom she had three children.

Many of du Maurier’s bestselling novels and short stories were adapted into award-winning films, including Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds and Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. In 1969, du Maurier was awarded the Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE). She lived most of her life in Cornwall and died there which is the setting for many of her books.