Mary Anne

I love Daphne du Maurier's books, and this one is as wonderfully written as the rest. It's all the more interesting because it's based on the life of the author's great-great-grandmother.

The book starts with a glimpse at the end of the story, which confused me a little, but when I came back to it after I'd finished the book, it was like meeting a friend. Mary Anne's life is told, from her childhood in poor circumstances, through a disastrous marriage, and on to adulthood as she endlessly tries to make a decent living for herself and her children. The odds, however, are against her. At that time, money and everything else was controlled by men - women must rely on men's generosity, or on a good marriage.

Carole Boyd is a truly fantastic audio book reader. Her characterisation of Mary Anne is particularly good, and she reads so clearly and paces the reading so well that it is truly a pleasure to listen. A true professional, we could do with more books read by her.

Not, I think, to the author's usually good standard: she usually entertains me with her novels, but this one I'm afraid falls far from my expectations - in short, I have been rather bored by it and therefore would not recommend it to anyone else.

A well-written story taking one right into the period so that the torment of being without funds, the sounds, smells etc. come alive and draw the listener along with Mary Anne's misadventures. The narrator deserves more than a mention for her fine depiction of all the characters.