The Parasites ebook

by Daphne Du Maurier

Foreword by Julie Myerson. Little, Brown and Company. A tricky question because, more than anything, The Parasites is stylistically on the edge, an exercise in narrative sleight of hand.

Foreword by Julie Myerson. The clue lies in that very first sentence: It was Charles who called us the parasites. Called who? Well, the three Delaneys: Maria, Niall and Celia, obviously.

Daphne du Maurier was born in 1906 and educated at home and in Paris. The Parasites is probably not a good read for one's first or second du Maurier book, but it's very rewarding once one has already explored the breadth of her talents. One person found this helpful. She began writing in 1928, and many of her bestselling novels were set in Cornwall, where she lived for most of her life. She was made a DBE in 1969 and died in 1989.

Daphne du Maurier has instinct, with the result that every woman instinctively wants to read he. .

Maria, Niall and Celia have grown up in the shadow of their famous parents - their father, a flamboyant singer and their mother, a talented dancer. Early on while I was reading Daphne du Maurier's The Parasites, I knew that this fictional novel had something of Daphne, herself in it, how much we have no idea but there are many things that point to her family and her life. I have not read all her books yet but I know that more of her books have something about her family.

The Parasites is a novel by Daphne du Maurier, first published in 1949. This novel is the story of the Delaney family

The Parasites is a novel by Daphne du Maurier, first published in 1949. This novel is the story of the Delaney family. The Delaneys led complex and frequently scandalous lives; their strange relationship with each other closed their circle to all outsiders; the world in which they lived was sophisticated, gay, and sometimes tragic. Maria Delaney was a beautiful, successful actress, the wife of Sir Charles Wyndham. Niall Delaney wrote the songs and melodies that everyone sang and played. Animal Parasites are invertebrate animals which have taken up their abode in or upon the living bodies of other animals. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. From a broad biological outlook parasitism is a negative reaction to the struggle for existence, and always implies a mode of life that is nearer the line of least resistance.

Daphne du Maurier (1907-89) was born in London, the daughter of the famous actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and granddaughter of George du Maurier, the author and artist. 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.

Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. The coachman tried to warn her away from the ruined, forbidding place on the rainswept Cornish coast

Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, a man who will love his grand home as much as he does himself. The coachman tried to warn her away from the ruined, forbidding place on the rainswept Cornish coast. But young Mary Yellan chose instead to honor her mother's dying request that she join her frightened Aunt Patience and huge, hulking Uncle Joss Merlyn at Jamaica Inn.

Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, DBE (/duː ˈmɒrieɪ/; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English author and playwright. Although she is classed as a romantic novelist, her stories have been described as "moody and resonant" with overtones of the paranormal. Her bestselling works were not at first taken seriously by critics, but have since earned an enduring reputation for narrative craft.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier .Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. But the cosy world the two construct is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries - and there he dies suddenly

Daphne du Maurier was a famous English writer and playwright. Her best-known works are Rebecca and The Birds, both of which have been adapted into films by Alfred Hitchcock.

Daphne du Maurier was a famous English writer and playwright. Author: Daphne du Maurier. Categories: Classic Foreign Literature, Horror, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Short Stories. Reader: Charlie Barnecut.

Dalarin

Parasite: an invertebrate animal preying upon the body of another animal.

And that is what Charles thinks of the Delaneys. They have inherited their parents' talents and have done nothing else with their lives. But Charles wasn't specific. Who among the three Delaney children is the parasite? Is it his wife Maria? After all, he knows her better than the rest. And he knows that she is a great actress, so great that she can develop a new personality on cue. And that is precisely her problem. Who is the real Maria? Or is he referring to Niall? Niall is a natural-born talent, a great musician. But his unresolved issues with his mother and his own brooding feelings for his stepsister has stopped him from living his own life. Then there's Celia. Sweet, spinsterish Celia, the only daughter of both Mama and Pappy Delaney (Maria is Pappy's daughter, Neill is Mama's, children borne from a previous relationship). She's the least talented one, not as pretty, and always the mediator. She's also given up on having a husband and children of her own to look after Maria and Charles's kids. She had also looked after her father after her mother died. After Charles's verbal assault, all three of them ponder his meaning, going back to the events that have brought them to where they are today. Are they happy? Could they be anything more than just the Delaneys? Is there a life beyond the entertainment world?

Daphne du Maurier dedicates this novel to "Whom the Caps fit." You soon realize that this story is very personal. Du Maurier's parents were both entertainers, and perhaps that part of her life had left some feelings that ran deep for her. She wrote various memoirs and short stories with this same theme. The Parasites, while not the author's best work, is an entertaining and poignant tale of love and loss. I like the way the author uses a rather interesting second-person narrative. All the reader knows is that one of the three Delaney children is the narrator, but which one? And do we get to find out whom it is? That is all I will reveal on the matter. Suffice it to say that the unique narrative style draws you in from the beginning. Another interesting thing is the relationship between Maria, Neill and Celia -- especially the first two. There is a Cathy and Heathcliff feel to them that is quite noticeable from the start. This is especially clear in Maria's selfishness, their unnatural clinginess toward each other since childhood (Maria used to pick on Neill when they were kids) and Neill's jealousy when Maria meets Charles. Their relationship is not as dark or as morbid as Emily Bronte's couple, but the similarities are there. And that is all the information I will supply. Don't want to go all book club discussion-type on you. You will have to read this magnificent book to know the rest. First published in 1949, The Parasites is a nice, quick read from Du Maurier, falling into a lighter cateogory, somewhere between Frenchman's Creek and The King's General, only that it's contemporary and more poignant. I recommend it.

GAMER

Du Maurier writes very well, and that's a given. The Parasites is outside the envelope of her novels, as her famous short stories are. The Parasites is probably not a good read for one's first or second du Maurier book, but it's very rewarding once one has already explored the breadth of her talents.

Kazigrel

In 1949, after years of publishing historical sagas,
DdM produced "The Parasites" -- a fascinating social
comedy. 3 siblings whose parents were famous performers
reflect on their lives after the humorless husband of one
calls them parasites. He's a boor, jealous of their
worldliness, easy talent and charm. People find them
irresistible.

It's a most personal novel for DdM, coming when her
marriage was in crisis. The siblings mirror different
aspects of DdM's personality. On publication, it disappointed
her fans: it lacks gothic trappings, suspense, romance.
It's a portrait of several lives and crammed with insightful
comedy. It also has an incestuous motif and a wounding finale.

"The Parasites" is not for readers with Third Grade mentality.
DdM again conveys rich atmosphere with a few strokes; she
knows how to entertain on a high level. She reminds us that
we can survive anything, except death.

Danial

This is one of my favorites of her books. Alas, this kindle version is riddled with typos, which mars the enjoyment.

Unde

I love Daphne DuMaurier's books. However, The Parasites was not of her better books. A little disappointed.

Marilbine

I have read Daphne du Maurier for many years. I am very glad that there are so many of them available for Kindle now, I've been waiting!

Swiang

Interesting descriptions of totally self absorbed siblings.

What I find most surprising is all the dissapointment from the readers here on this work. This was one of the very first reads by Ms. DuMaurier that I read and I must say I found it immesnly worth while. I know quite a bit about her and I can tell that this was a personal work and yet, I can also say that her characterzation is flawless. I have never read a book where I did not like all of the main characters, and yet did at the same time. They are annoying and selfish and yet relateable. The story set up is odd, but I liked it. I found the ending most powerful and once again DuMaurier is skilled at an intricate frame of complex relationships. Well done. If you are a first time DuMaurier reader, wait though, get used to her for a while.