7 /10 1 Votes
Cover artist Keith Richens Publication date 1972 Pages 215 Originally published 1972 Page count 215 Country United Kingdom | 3.5/5 Goodreads Language English Media type Print ISBN 0-575-01598-5 Publisher Victor Gollancz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar Daphne du Maurier books, Classical Studies books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rule Britannia is Daphne du Maurier's last novel, published in 1972 by Victor Gollancz.
Contents
Plot introduction
Set in the late 1970s in Poldrea, a small village in Cornwall, the novel describes the relationship of Emma, a young woman, and her grandmother, Mad, a famous retired actress. They share their existence with several local children recruited by Mad. One morning, Emma wakes to the sound of airplanes overhead. An American warship has anchored in the harbour. Emma and Mad discover that barricades have been set up on the roads and American soldiers are marching over the fields. After hours of civil confusion, an announcement is made by the Prime Minister: Due to recent economic and military failures on the Continent, the United Kingdom and the United States of America have joined together as a single nation, one that will ultimately include all the English-speaking nations of the world. Mad and Emma become convinced that something far more sinister is going on, and they set out to find the truth.
Dedication
The book is dedicated to actress Gladys Cooper, who died in 1971. Cooper had been one of the leading ladies of Daphne's father, the actor and impresario Gerald du Maurier. Daphne used Cooper as the basis for the character "Mad".