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The Parasites
 
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The Parasites (Paperback)

by Daphne Du Maurier (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (May 1965)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140022996
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140022995
  • Product Dimensions: 18.1 x 11 x 1.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 102,174 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #32 in  Books > Fiction > 20th Century Classics > Du Maurier, Daphne

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 26 Feb 2007
This review is from: The Parasites (Paperback)
Daphe du Maurier really shows us the brilliant art of her writing in this book. The descriptions of the artistic life in Paris and London is so richly and skilfully written you can feel yourself there and feel the textures. It also conveys certain ways of life that have dissapeared this century, the English upper classes. The clever way the book is conveyed in flashbacks and memories of the three siblings is brilliantly done, and the end has just enough mystique to leave you wondering for a long time after you have finished it.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Parasites by Daphne Du Maurier, 21 Oct 2005
By Paul Walter (Newbury, Berkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Parasites (Paperback)
This is a wonderful book. The sort of book you can drown in, in the most delicious way. The characters are fantastically well drawn. The picture conjured up of Bohemian theatrical life style via English county life and France, is whimsical and engaging.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, 14 April 2009
By Dot (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Parasites (Paperback)
Daphne Du Maurier is at the top of the list of my favourite authors, Rebecca is definitely my favourite book of all time. I always get a bit nervous when I start another one of her books as I worry that I will be disappointed in it but Du Maurier, yet again, did not disappoint.
The Parasites is about the Delaney siblings, Maria, Niall and Celia. They are the off-spring of very famous parents; their father was one of the greatest singers of the time and their mother was an extremely talented and applauded dancer. Celia is the only child that shares both parents, so she is half sister to Niall and Maria, who share no blood ties, yet they have the closest bond of all the children. These three complex characters are actually the parasites in the title as they are seen to live off the talent of their parents as they try to forge their own creative careers. Du Maurier shows them in the present day she then creates a series of flashback to show how they have become they people they are now.
This book could be slightly auto-biographical; Daphne was the daughter of Sir Gerald Du Maurier, a famous actor and manager and her mother was the actress Muriel Beaumont. Perhaps there are elements of Du Maurier in the character of Celia whose true talent is writing and illustrating stories yet she suppresses this in order to take care of her ailing father. Du Maurier did have a tempestuous relationship with her father and he greatly influenced her. She worked extremely hard to gain the success that she did; maybe Celia is the person she could have been if she had not had the will to explore and use her talent for writing.
I really enjoyed this book but many parts of it are not pleasant; Du Maurier is so good at creating characters that can truly make you cringe. Niall and Maria are especially detestable, selfish creatures. However, Du Maurier has woven the story so well that you do have sympathy for them as they are very much a product of their childhood. Du Maurier really captured for me the feeling you have when you suddenly realise that you are a grown-up:

A day would come, a day like any other day, and looking over your shoulder you would see the shadow of the child that was, receding; and there would be no going back, no possibility of recapturing the shadow.



I really enjoyed this book, the relationships between the characters keeps you gripped, especially the one between Niall and Maria. Du Maurier has an extremely clever and subtle style of writing, she does not bombard you with information, instead she weaves the little details throughout her story so that you gradually get to know the characters. There is always an air of mystery that keeps you turning the pages.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Parasites, A Brilliant Book
The Parasites is a tale of three siblings Maria, Niall and Celia who are actually `the parasites' of the title. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Simon Savidge "savidgeread...

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Think this is a hidden gem - not as well known as other by the author but i was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sanderae

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