The King’s General by Daphne du Maurier, reviewed by Eva Leung

The King's General UK 1st ed

The UK first edition, hardback of The King’s General by Daphne du Maurier

Genre: Historical Fiction
Tagline: As civil war rages across England, the weak prove their courage, and the privileged become traitors.
Original Publication: 1946

It is 1628. Spirited, beautiful, eighteen-year-old Honor Harris meets Sir Richard Grenvile, the proud, fierce, reckless brother of her sister-in-law Gartred. A brief courtship, an engagement – then a tragic riding accident. Honor breaks off the engagement and ceases all contact with Richard, determined to resolve to the life of a spinster.

Fifteen years later, the English Civil War breaks out. Honor is relocated from her home at Lanrest to her brother-in-law’s residence Menabilly, where a chance encounter brings Richard, now a Cornish Royalist general, back to Honor’s life. Honor becomes his supporter, his confidante, and a judge and witness of the historical events. However, though their love for each other never wavers, this is not a love story between Honor and Richard. It is a Civil War novel about history, told through the lives of the real historical personalities of Honor Harris ( ? - 1653) and Sir Richard Grenvile (1600-1658), among other characters who did exist. Daphne du Maurier undertook meticulous historical research to present the life of the people in the seventeenth century, with keen attention to historical authenticity.

It was a gruesome discovery in the real mansion Menabilly that inspired du Maurier to write this very gripping tale. There is a suspenseful, fast-paced storyline on top of other literary merits like character interiority, historical accuracy, the creation of atmosphere through landscape descriptions and sounds, as well as effective dialogues. It is a wonder why it is not as well-known as the other works by her, nor is it made into a movie like Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. Like Gone With the Wind (1936), this is a novel about a Civil War told from the perspective of a beautiful woman, and as the New York Times notes, du Maurier’s writing makes history come vividly alive.

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