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Jamaica Inn

Jamaica Inn

GothicHistorical Fiction
Pages
262
Published
1936
Language
English

Synopsis

Orphaned Mary Yellan travels to the remote Jamaica Inn in Cornwall to live with her aunt, only to find a grim household ruled by a menacing uncle and his smugglers. Drawn into their dangerous world, Mary must navigate her own growing feelings for a mysterious man she can't trust, all while trying to survive the inn's dark secrets.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkTenseMysteriousAtmosphericRomantic
Fish Out of WaterMorally GreyForbidden LoveSurvivalBetrayal

Genres

Gothic Historical Fiction Mystery Romance Suspense

About the author

D
Daphne du Maurier

Daphne du Maurier was born on 13 May 1907 in London, England, United Kingdom, the second of three daughters of Muriel Beaumont, an actress and maternal niece of William Comyns Beaumont, and Sir Gerald du Maurier, the prominent actor-manager, son of the author and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier, who created the character of Svengali in the novel Trilby. She was also the cousin of the Llewelyn Davies boys, who served as J.M. Barrie's inspiration for the characters in the play Peter Pan, or The...

Characters

Mary YellanProtagonist
Joss MerlynAntagonist
Patience MerlynSupporting
All characters in Jamaica Inn

Frequently asked questions

  • Is the Jamaica Inn in the book a real place?

    The inn is a real establishment located on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall that still exists today. Daphne du Maurier visited the site in the 1930s after getting lost while riding on horseback, and the atmosphere of the location inspired her to write the novel.

  • Are there any film or television versions of this story?

    The novel has been adapted multiple times for the screen, including a 1939 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and several television miniseries produced by the BBC and ITV.