The Loving Spirit by Daphne du Maurier #DDMreadingweek

Title: The Loving Spirit
Author: Daphne du Maurier
Publication: Sourcebooks, paperback, originally published in 1931
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: Cornwall, 1830-1930

Description: Janet Coombe is a fearless young woman whose passion for the sea and the hills where she lives is more real to her than the ordinary people in her town. She marries her second cousin, an aspiring shipbuilder, and they raise six children together, one of whom inherits his mother’s love of the sea - and, as a man, he can follow his dream of going to sea in a way his mother cannot. This shared obsession creates a special bond between Janet and her son Joseph; she favors him and most of the siblings accept it good-naturedly, except the youngest son, Philip, who grows up as secretive and spiteful as Joseph is exuberant. Their differing interests and fortunes put them on a collision course that will damage the entire family and future generations, and although Janet does not live long enough to keep the peace, her spirit endures to reach her family in a supernatural way and ultimately to pull her great-granddaughter from a lonely life in London back to Cornwall. There, a hundred years after Janet’s marriage, a new generation of Coombes will seek happiness.

My Impression: Daphne du Maurier Reading Week takes on new meaning this year now that I have visited Fowey, where she was inspired to write The Loving Spirit, her first novel, a family saga that spans 100 years. Those who followed my travels know that Cath from Read-Warbler and I tried to visit – or at least admire from a distance – the real Manderley in July but could not get close enough to see anything but the fatal cove. I thought Cornwall was lovely and thanks to intrepid driving by Cath’s husband we covered a lot of ground in two days but I’d like to return and see more!  I also want more of that salted caramel ice cream from Moomaid.

As with nearly all of du Maurier’s books, The Loving Spirit was extremely readable but I did find myself exasperated with the characters. Janet is a passionate and willful character married to a good-hearted, ambitious man, and their union is successful but while Thomas cares deeply for his wife he does not understand her. When Janet’s second son, Joseph, shares her love of the sea, their bond becomes intense and very unbalanced – to the detriment of Joseph’s relationships with the rest of the family. Philip, the youngest son, grows up to be miserly and vicious, lacking in any kind of loyalty or affection, and Joseph carelessly adds fuel to the fire on numerous occasions, which eventually results in tragedy. None of the Coombes matters to Joseph except his mother:

Joseph put out the lamp, and snuffed the candles. He drew aside the curtains, and the light of the moon made a white pattern on the carpet. Then he came across the room, and knelt beside Janet in the darkness.

“Do you know how much I love you?” he whispered.

“Yes, Joseph.”

He held her fingers and kissed the hollows of her hands.

“I reckon I’ve never realized before what the losin’ o’ you meant.”

She rested her head on his shoulder when he said this.

Seriously, Daphne?! Well, despite the unhealthy relationship with her unlikable son, Janet is a memorable character and du Maurier’s first novel put her on the map with this story of passion, heartbreak, revenge, and hope. The multigenerational saga (a favorite genre of mine) captures the vagaries of fortune that can destroy a family as well as the things that hold it together, such as the way the Coombes contribute to their dream of finally building a ship for themselves instead of for others or when Joseph’s nieces are willing to keep house for him so he can continue his seafaring career. This book also reveals du Maurier’s fascination with Cornwall which echoes Janet’s passion for the sea and surrounding area.  I enjoyed it but do not rank it in du Maurer's top five.

Other du Maurier books I have reviewed include 

Hungry Hill (1943)

The Parasites (1949)

Kiss Me Again, Stranger (1953) 

The Glass-Blowers (1963) 

The House on the Strand (1969) 

Myself When Young (1977) and an article about Mary Anne. 

There is also Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner (2022), in which du Maurier appears as a character. 

This is my eleventh historical fiction of the year for The Intrepid Reader’s 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. Thanks to Heaven-Ali and Liz Dexter for continuing this du Maurier tradition.

Source: Library