The House on the Strand

By: Daphne du Maurier

Narrated by: Ron Keith

Dick Young is lent a house in Cornwall by his friend Professor Magnus Lane. During his stay he agrees to serve as a guinea pig for a new drug that Magnus has discovered in his scientific research.

When Dick samples Magnus' potion, he finds himself doing the impossible: traveling through time while staying in place, thrown all the way back into Medieval Cornwall. The concoction wears off after several hours, but its effects are intoxicating and Dick cannot resist his newfound powers. As his journeys increase, Dick begins to resent the days he must spend in the modern world, longing ever more fervently to get back into his world of centuries before, and the home of the beautiful Lady Isolda....

©2014 Daphne du Maurier (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"The House on the Strand is prime du Maurier." ( New York Times)

Amazing story, this is a one of a kind!

Daphne, your imagination never ceases to amaze me. This is such a unique story, very you with all the twist and turns. The ending leaves me still questioning the truth of the Dr. vs the truth of Dick. I would read it again.

Highly original; a du Maurier delight

Daphne Du Maurier is the grand dame of intriguing, engaging suspense stories - Ron Keith’s narration is so tuned the story’s nuances & characters that it’s all totally enthralling. A difficult story to narrate as it’s got so many things going, but Keith really nails it - I have listened over & over with great enjoyment. The story is a romance, but not in a typical way - it’s got a yearning romance, a charming bromance, wry humor, meta-psychological/psychotropic induced historical mystery & modern day suspense. Through it all the author’s love of Cornwall shines with vividness. Only Du Maurier could have created & written this story; Keith brings it to life for audiobook enthusiasts - he does not disappoint.

A Perfect Ending

Any additional comments?

Another reviewer was disappointed by the ending, but when listening to that climactic scene in which an unexpected twist reveals a second, deeper meaning, I found myself in tears of wonder, joy, and sorrow. I've rarely experienced a more satisfying ending to a story.

The Ending Was Perfect

I'm surprised so many people didn't like the ending. I found it perfect, satisfying. Science fiction that is plausible, not flashy. Du Maurier is a gripping storyteller, underrated.

Epic.

This book is incredible, and with quite the unexpected plot. If you like Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel, you will love this one too.

Wonderful SURPRISE w/ SURPRISE ending!

Perhaps the title of this novel threw me off, as I was not expecting the uniquely absorbing, strange sci-fi / magical realism tale that quickly ravels. Du Maurier's weaving of multiple realities - which at times seem almost precipitously ready to unravel - creates a highly suspenseful push/pull effect.

This laxity at multiple seams, leaves the reader (in my opinion) in a pleasantly tenuous world of a myriad of mysterious possibilities. One in which the final conclusion manages to simultaneously unravel/ravel...dispel, while still mystifying.

The narrator is a little kooky sounding (some name pronunciations r intense) but he reads well & may be an oddly great match for the material.

Absorbing psychological mystery

I couldn’t stop listening! Terrific story of a man’s descent into obsession. The two worlds — the 1960s (?) and the 1300s — are exquisitely drawn. The characters are fascinating … in fact, the main historical characters are so much more appealing than the present day ones that I completely sympathized with our selfish protagonist’s desire to escape into the past. Outstanding performance by the narrator.

Sitting on the edge of my seat!

Think this may be my favorite of her books yet.
The concept of different times is very interesting!

Disappointing ending

I read this years ago and remember it as being riveting, unusual and well written. Those recollections were confirmed, but I had not remembered the ending which at least this time around I found a bit unsatisfying. I want to get my old hardback copy out to make sure the audio version didn't miss a chapter!

House on the Strand

Another good Daphne Du Maurier book! Suspenseful, hard to stop, twist and turns. Read and enjoy!