Classics

Castle Dor

Castle Dor

  • Downloads：8645
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-30 09:53:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Daphne du Maurier
  • ISBN：1844080676
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Both a spellbinding love story and a superb evocation of Cornwall's mythic past， Castle Dor is a book with unique and fascinating origins。

It began life as the unfinished last novel of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch， the celebrated 'Q'， and was passed by his daughter to Daphne du Maurier whose storytelling skills were perfectly suited to the task of completing the old master's tale。

The result is this magical， compelling recreation of the legend of Tristan and Iseult， transplanted in time to the Cornwall of the last century。 A chance encounter between the Breton onion-seller， Amyot Trestane， and the newly-wed Linnet Lewarne launches their tragic story， taking them in the fateful footsteps of the doomed lovers of Cornish legend 。。。

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Reviews

Marie Phillip ，

Considering Ms DuMaurier took over writing this story after the original author died， I think she did a good job。 It's hard to distinguish who wrote what。 Considering Ms DuMaurier took over writing this story after the original author died， I think she did a good job。 It's hard to distinguish who wrote what。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

As a big fan of Daphne du Maurier， this was a big disappointment。 The story was incredibly boring and poorly written， especially at the beginning。

Rachel Slocombe ，

The pleasure and pain of love， once breathed upon the air， rose but to fall again，  like blossom or like rain，  infecting all things living with pain and ecstasy。 。Another book with unexpected time travel。 It took me a bit to get into this one but that's probably because the beginning wasn't written by Daphne。 Due to her ability to write in every genre this turns from a story of an affair between a Bretton onion seller and the pub landlady into a strange time travel fantasy novel where they repl The pleasure and pain of love， once breathed upon the air， rose but to fall again，  like blossom or like rain，  infecting all things living with pain and ecstasy。 。Another book with unexpected time travel。 It took me a bit to get into this one but that's probably because the beginning wasn't written by Daphne。 Due to her ability to write in every genre this turns from a story of an affair between a Bretton onion seller and the pub landlady into a strange time travel fantasy novel where they replay the romance of Tristan and Isolte。。Beautifully written， sad and romantic。 。。。more

Sharla ，

This is the first of the historicalfiction genre I have ever read and I am highly impressed。

Beverly ，

Will keep you reading until the late hours。

Vicki ，

It is a very gripping book with lots of characters and lots of drama。

Timm Reviews ，

The way you put the suspense in there but what won me over from the start is the way you describe the things in the Castle Dor 。

Marley ，

I know it's classics， but you have to wonder about some of the things taking place。 Are these things types of things going on today？ I know it's classics， but you have to wonder about some of the things taking place。 Are these things types of things going on today？ 。。。more

Reviews by Arda ，

It was believable， kept me interested， and left me wanting more。

Helen Ashforth-Foster ，

This is a fairly decent adaptation of the Tristan and Isolde tale and it's natural for Du Maurier to adapt given her settings in Cornwall。 The tale modernises the setting to Victorian Cornwall but the tale remains intact。 The ending is certainly better than the beginning maybe as this is more du Maurier than Quiller-Couch as the beginning feels slow。 This is a fairly decent adaptation of the Tristan and Isolde tale and it's natural for Du Maurier to adapt given her settings in Cornwall。 The tale modernises the setting to Victorian Cornwall but the tale remains intact。 The ending is certainly better than the beginning maybe as this is more du Maurier than Quiller-Couch as the beginning feels slow。 。。。more

Janice Bridger ，

I liked this more than most reviewers。 Starting with the florid language of Sir Arthur it gradually changes into much more digestible Du Maurier。 The story is a retelling of the legend of Tristan and Isolde and DM turns it from a supernatural story to a more mysterious idea of whether we can escape our destiny。 I couldn’t find the exact join between the 2 but knew when it was true Q and definite DM- very clever on her part。 I also enjoyed the discussion of the possible endings by Doctor Carfax a I liked this more than most reviewers。 Starting with the florid language of Sir Arthur it gradually changes into much more digestible Du Maurier。 The story is a retelling of the legend of Tristan and Isolde and DM turns it from a supernatural story to a more mysterious idea of whether we can escape our destiny。 I couldn’t find the exact join between the 2 but knew when it was true Q and definite DM- very clever on her part。 I also enjoyed the discussion of the possible endings by Doctor Carfax and finally the realisation that whatever happened it might not be what I wanted。 Yes ok it’s not her best book but I am full of admiration that she took on the project after Q died and didn’t say I will just start again！ 。。。more

Holly ，

I am rather dismayed to see so many tepid reviews！ When I was around 17 or 18 （not long after the book was published）， I read this。 I had bought a hard-back but over the years， it disappeared。 Over the course of many decades afterwards， occasionally I would remember it， especially some of the epigraph - “You and I and Amyas， Amyas and you and I 。。。” But I could not remember the title of the book， nor the author。In this current age of the coronavirus， there has been plenty of time for my mind to I am rather dismayed to see so many tepid reviews！ When I was around 17 or 18 （not long after the book was published）， I read this。 I had bought a hard-back but over the years， it disappeared。 Over the course of many decades afterwards， occasionally I would remember it， especially some of the epigraph - “You and I and Amyas， Amyas and you and I 。。。” But I could not remember the title of the book， nor the author。In this current age of the coronavirus， there has been plenty of time for my mind to wander 。。。 so I tried to track down the title and author of the book。 Finally chanced across “Daphne du Maurier” and a list of her books。 Eureka！ Castle Dor by Arthur Quiller-Couch and Daphne du Maurier！ I didn’t really remember the story line， but something about the book stayed in my memory。 So reading it “anew” was a pleasure， though I did remember the death of the Notary。 And this time， with the wonders of the internet， I was able to （amateurishly） annotate it — by translating some dialogue in French to English， and also looking up definitions of unknown words （such as divagate: to wander or stray from a course or subject）。 The used copy I ordered online was a Book Club edition。 The owner also underlined and remarked on some passages in the book。What I loved about this book: the illustration on the dust jacket echoes beautifully the description in the novel， as to the landscape and the river nearby — AND the old Castle Dor （torn down centuries ago）， as a ghostly image on top of the hill。 The book calls for a more languid reading than writings of today。 One is tantalized by descriptions of Cornwall， the legends， the people。 Farmer Bosanko’s horses are named Lion and Pleasant。 The links to ancient lore 。。。 I enjoyed it， even if others didn’t。 。。。more

Sara ，

The story is a retelling of the legend of Tristan and Isolde， and is actually written by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and only finished by Daphne du Maurier after his death。 It has none of her flair or style and is positively boring in places。 I found the end both expected and unmoving。 In fact， none of the characters interested me in the least。 By three-quarters through I was fighting the urge to just lay it aside。

Sonia ，

Tristan and isold twist

WhatIReallyRead ，

Castle Dor turned out to be a retelling of the Tristan and Isolde legend， only set in XIX century Cornwall。 It was written， though never finished because of his death， by Arthur Quiller-Couch。 I first found out about him because he was mentioned in 84， Charing Cross Road as Helene Hanff's mentor。 Quiller-Couch's daughter， after his death， asked Daphne du Maurier to finish the novel。 I couldn't tell where his writing stopped， and hers began。 Which is a good thing， considering。Still， I was not imp Castle Dor turned out to be a retelling of the Tristan and Isolde legend， only set in XIX century Cornwall。 It was written， though never finished because of his death， by Arthur Quiller-Couch。 I first found out about him because he was mentioned in 84， Charing Cross Road as Helene Hanff's mentor。 Quiller-Couch's daughter， after his death， asked Daphne du Maurier to finish the novel。 I couldn't tell where his writing stopped， and hers began。 Which is a good thing， considering。Still， I was not impressed by the book。 The plot didn't grip me。 The retelling was too straightforward to be particularly interesting; there wasn't much of a twist to it。 If you have any familiarity with the legend， you know what's going to happen， and it just - happens。 To make things cheesier， a side character keeps pointing out the similarities of every situation in the novel with the Tristan and Isolde legend。 Why I'll never know。 There was a feeble attempt to create some suspense at the end， but it failed。The characters were weak， too。 Linnet was shallow and vain， her husband cartoonishly despicable， Amyot seemed just hot and dull-witted。 None of these characters inspired sympathy。 To me， Daphne du Maurier's strongest trait is her ability to write insightful， complex， ambiguous characters。 Castle Dor completely lacked these。 The doctor side-character never justified occupying pages of the book - I kept waiting to discover a compelling reason for him being there， but it never arrived。 The star-crossed romance was lackluster as well。 It felt less like a story of love， and more like a story of two attractive young people meeting a hot person their age for the first time， and immediately applying all their energy to get into each other's pants before even getting acquainted。 They didn't get to know each other， and there wasn't much to know anyway since they were both flat and boring characters。The book didn't offer anything else either， so I have no redeeming qualities to list。 It wasn't torturous to read， that's all。 。。。more

Phoebe Jephson ，

Fascinating。 It definitely inspires research into Cornish myth and legend。

Jennifer Thomas ，

A slow start， but once I got into it， I did enjoy it。 Not my favourite Du Maurier。 Might have helped if I'd known more of the Tristan and Iseult myth。 A slow start， but once I got into it， I did enjoy it。 Not my favourite Du Maurier。 Might have helped if I'd known more of the Tristan and Iseult myth。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I found this book quite slow and boring， an effort to read。 Normally I love du Maurier's writing because it is full of mystery and surprises， but because this book follows a doctor who is reading an old tale whilst it is happening to his acquaintances， you are told what the surprises will be before they happen。 I also felt like the characters didn't have much depth and personality。 I found this book quite slow and boring， an effort to read。 Normally I love du Maurier's writing because it is full of mystery and surprises， but because this book follows a doctor who is reading an old tale whilst it is happening to his acquaintances， you are told what the surprises will be before they happen。 I also felt like the characters didn't have much depth and personality。 。。。more

Deborah Sowery-Quinn ，

The last unfinished novel by duMaurier's father， Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch， & finished by her。 It takes the legend of Tristan and Iseult and brings it to life in 19th century Cornwall。 It has the theme that many of duMaurier's novels have， passionate love leading to disaster。 The last unfinished novel by duMaurier's father， Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch， & finished by her。 It takes the legend of Tristan and Iseult and brings it to life in 19th century Cornwall。 It has the theme that many of duMaurier's novels have， passionate love leading to disaster。 。。。more

Natalie Richards ，

This is a story originally started by another author， Sir Arthur Quiller_Couch， best known as Q and passed to Daphne to complete upon his death by his daughter。 I couldn't find Daphne anywhere in this book and did not enjoy it at all。 This is a story originally started by another author， Sir Arthur Quiller_Couch， best known as Q and passed to Daphne to complete upon his death by his daughter。 I couldn't find Daphne anywhere in this book and did not enjoy it at all。 。。。more

Sarah ，

A novel finished by Daphne du Maurier but begun by a family friend， I could not tell where the manuscript transferred from one author to the other。 A tale of chivalric legend impacting on ‘modern’ events。 Characters seem caught between two worlds。

Michelle ，

The original author Arthur Quiller-Couch started this novel and passed away before it’s completion。 Daphne DuMaurier was an admirer of “Q”， and finished the novel。 There are distinct differences between the language used in the beginning and ending chapters。 The older dialect of the original author is a bit more challenging than it’s contemporary。 However， this novel is charming and well worth reading。

Mgb ，

I have never been drawn to the story of Tristan and Iseult and this offshoot does not change that。 I have enjoyed books by du Maurier but this one is low in the list。 At the request of his daughter， she finishes the story started by the ‘famous novelist’ Q。 Her part of the book is much more readable。 The story is okay。

Jared Geraghty ，

Ugh I’m so conflicted on this one， because on the one hand it was really well written， but on the other I couldn’t help but think it was so dull！ Not much happened and the romance sprung from nowhere， and the plot felt rather rushed at the end though too drawn out at the beginning， and it was just weird to read。 I loved the description， and the world building was beautiful， but the characters and plot were frankly a mess。 But I did enjoy reading it somehow， which is why it gets a good rating。 I Ugh I’m so conflicted on this one， because on the one hand it was really well written， but on the other I couldn’t help but think it was so dull！ Not much happened and the romance sprung from nowhere， and the plot felt rather rushed at the end though too drawn out at the beginning， and it was just weird to read。 I loved the description， and the world building was beautiful， but the characters and plot were frankly a mess。 But I did enjoy reading it somehow， which is why it gets a good rating。 I know this doesn’t really make sense， but I truly don’t know how to review this one without contradicting myself！ 。。。more

Melanie Moore ，

Castle Dor was originally the unfinished work of British novelist Sir Arthur Auiller-Crouch， better known as "Q"。 His daughter sought out Daphne du Maurier to finish the tale。 True to du Maurier's form， this novel was captivating。 It's hard to tell where Q ended and du Maurier began。 It is a modern retelling of the tragic love story of Tristan and Iseult。 This novel is often overlooked， but if you a Daphne du Maurier fan， I highly recommend it！ Castle Dor was originally the unfinished work of British novelist Sir Arthur Auiller-Crouch， better known as "Q"。 His daughter sought out Daphne du Maurier to finish the tale。 True to du Maurier's form， this novel was captivating。 It's hard to tell where Q ended and du Maurier began。 It is a modern retelling of the tragic love story of Tristan and Iseult。 This novel is often overlooked， but if you a Daphne du Maurier fan， I highly recommend it！ 。。。more

Sarah ，

I finally got around to reading Castle Dor this month， after it sat on my bookshelf for about two years， as part of the UnreadShelfProject2019 on Instagram （February's book being a book that was received as a gift）。It was okay; in fact， very much a middle-ground read for me。 I didn't hate it， but I didn't love it， either。The thing about Castle Dor is that it was originally drafted by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch， and du Maurier simply finished it after his death。 It therefore doesn't read exactly as I finally got around to reading Castle Dor this month， after it sat on my bookshelf for about two years， as part of the UnreadShelfProject2019 on Instagram （February's book being a book that was received as a gift）。It was okay; in fact， very much a middle-ground read for me。 I didn't hate it， but I didn't love it， either。The thing about Castle Dor is that it was originally drafted by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch， and du Maurier simply finished it after his death。 It therefore doesn't read exactly as you would expect a du Maurier novel to read。 Anyone familiar with du Maurier's work is likely to be able to pick out the passages written （or heavily edited） by her， and those of Quiller-Couch （as was the case for me）。 The basic premise to Castle Dor is a re-telling of the Tristan & Iseult （Isolde） legend， set in 19th Century Cornwall。 Tristan has become a Breton onion-seller by the name of Amyot Trestane， and Iseult the wife of a local publican named Linnet Lewarne。 Their chance encounter sets in motion a series of events eerily similar to those known to legend。A "modern" re-telling of the Tristan & Iseult legend is not a new idea， and Castle Dor certainly doesn't do a terrible job of it。 But the novel as a whole felt underdone， and I found myself wishing for more depth and intrigue to the characters and events。 I mean， I didn't really like any of the characters all that much: Amyot was too much of a mystery， Linnet too self-involved， Deborah's duplicity unconvincing， Mark Lewarne was only semi-present， and Dr Carfax was a bit of a prig。 I feel as though du Maurier tried to stay true to Quiller-Couch's original draft as much as possible， because that's very much how it reads。 Had du Maurier completely re-written the story as her own I think there would have been a lot more depth to the story， and would therefore probably get a higher rating from me。 。。。more

Kelly ，

It wasn't quite as readable as the author's other works but still intriguing。 It wasn't quite as readable as the author's other works but still intriguing。 。。。more

Harriet ，

This is not a good book。 It is quite impenetrable at the start with one-dimensional， uninspiring characters and unnecessary， dull detail。 There is absolutely no explanation or background to how or why Linnet and Amyot fall in love - or indeed any real background to their characters at all。 Perhaps this was a deliberate choice to render the novel similar to the original legend - but the consequence was that its hard to give a monkeys about what happens to them in the end。 I was hoping that there This is not a good book。 It is quite impenetrable at the start with one-dimensional， uninspiring characters and unnecessary， dull detail。 There is absolutely no explanation or background to how or why Linnet and Amyot fall in love - or indeed any real background to their characters at all。 Perhaps this was a deliberate choice to render the novel similar to the original legend - but the consequence was that its hard to give a monkeys about what happens to them in the end。 I was hoping that there would be some good descriptions of the Cornish countryside to evoke the place。 There weren’t。The two children （Mary and Johnny） and Dr Carfax were OK characters and an improvement on Amyot and Linnet。 Linnet was annoying - I had no sympathy for her whatsoever。 The saving grace of the book （and the reason for my 2 stars） is that it picks up pace towards the end and I did keep reading to the end - so it can’t have been all bad。 There is also a dash of humour in places。 My guess is that Du Maurier took over at around 65% - but that’s a lot of book to wade through before it improves！ 。。。more

Hillary Rossi ，

New echelons of dull。

Rosemary Orme ，

A retelling of Tristan and Isolda， which I studied for my Cornish Bard language exams。 I really couldn't enter into the spirit of this， and fore knowledge of the tragic ending gave little incentive to struggle through it。 Unusually for Daphne du Maurier， I did not enjoy this。 A retelling of Tristan and Isolda， which I studied for my Cornish Bard language exams。 I really couldn't enter into the spirit of this， and fore knowledge of the tragic ending gave little incentive to struggle through it。 Unusually for Daphne du Maurier， I did not enjoy this。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Castle Dor

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Castle Dor&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Castle Dor&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0