Jamaica Inn

Daphne Dumaurier

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1936

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Daphne Dumaurier

Jamaica Inn

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1936

Book Details

Pages

320

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

Cornwall, England • 1820s

Publication Year

1936

Audience

Adult

Super Short Summary

Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier follows a person named Mary Yellan, who moves to live with her aunt and uncle at a remote inn on the moors of Cornwall. The story involves her discovering troubling secrets and dealing with dangerous situations, revealing the inn's dark connections and the impact on her life.

Reviews & Readership

Review Roundup

Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier is praised for its atmospheric setting and compelling narrative, making it a gripping gothic novel. The protagonist's development and the richly described Cornish moors add depth, though some critics find the plot predictable and the pacing uneven. Overall, readers appreciate the suspense and Du Maurier's evocative writing style.

Who Should Read Jamaica Inn?

Fans of gothic romance and suspense, who admire dark, atmospheric settings and strong, complex heroines, will relish Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. Readers who enjoyed the brooding tension of Brontë’s Wuthering Heights or the eerie allure of Du Maurier’s own Rebecca will find this novel equally captivating.

Fun Facts

Daphne Du Maurier wrote Jamaica Inn in 1936 after visiting the real Jamaica Inn, a coaching inn in Cornwall, which inspired her with its eerie atmosphere and smuggling history.

The novel's protagonist, Mary Yellan, was partly inspired by Du Maurier's grandfather's tales of Cornish folklore and family history involving smuggling.

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Alfred Hitchcock was so captivated by Du Maurier's work that he adapted Jamaica Inn into a film in 1939, marking their first collaboration before later adapting her more famous novel, Rebecca.