The Mischief Makers by Elisabeth Gifford is a captivating and enchanting tale that explores the complexities of family, secrets, and the bonds that hold us together. Gifford’s evocative storytelling and richly drawn characters pull readers into a world where past mischief and present-day challenges intertwine. Set against a beautifully described backdrop, the novel delves into themes of love, loss, and reconciliation, offering a heartwarming and sometimes bittersweet reflection on the nature of relationships. With its blend of humor, mystery, and emotional depth, The Mischief Makers is a delightful read that reminds us of the power of family and the enduring impact of our shared histories.

Daphne du Maurier's life as a writer, the influence of Peter Pan author Barrie on her family and her often troubled relationships reveal a self-absorbed woman, very much of her class and of the times but startlingly who wrote psychologically complex novels. It also feels like quite a careful and flattering account of the writer. The book skated over the emotions of her sisters (and their sexuality), her children who were often sent away or with Nanny and husband who she adored but seems unable to talk to. As characters they feel remote, rather as Du Maurier herself seemed to perceive them. This book provides a context for du Maurier's plots and characters which I found really interesting. Although this was obviously well-researched, and set out chronologically, I found it a bit plodding and alienating with occasional flights of gothic fancy and obsessions that didn't hugely appeal.

An interesting incursion into the life of Daphne du Maurier and her relationship with JMBarrie who had a significant and deep affect on her life. It shows how her works were influenced by her state of mind

A fictionalized and entertaining piece of Daphne du Maurier's biography featuring her on the edge of a nervous breakdown in the moment that mixes past and the future of her greatest book.
Entertaining, well researched, well written
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you NetGalley and Atlantic Books for this eCopy to review

The Mischief Makers offers a fascinating look into the life of the renowned author Daphne du Maurier, delving into her personal and professional life, exploring the influences and experiences that shaped her writing. Especially, du Maurier’s complex relationship with J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. Barrie was a close family friend and had a significant influence on Daphne and her cousins, who were famously known as “The Lost Boys.”

What I Loved:
In-depth Biography: Gifford provides a detailed and well-researched account of du Maurier’s life, from her childhood to her later years. It’s insightful to see how her personal experiences influenced her famous works.
Engaging Writing Style: Gifford’s narrative is both engaging and accessible, making it easy to get lost in the story of du Maurier’s life.
Historical Context: The book does a great job of placing du Maurier’s life within the broader context of the times she lived in, offering a richer understanding of her work and legacy.

Barrie’s presence in their lives was both a source of inspiration and psychological complexity. His whimsical and imaginative nature influenced Daphne’s own storytelling and creative pursuits. However, du Maurier learns late on in her life that Barrie may have been manipulating her and the Lost Boys and their parents for years leading to them suffering lasting psychological damage

Gifford’s exploration of these relationships provides a deep and nuanced understanding of how Barrie’s influence shaped Daphne du Maurier’s life and the lives of her cousins. It’s a poignant reminder of the complexities behind the lives of those who inspire great works of literature.

I most saddened by the demise of her relation with her husband Frederick “Boy” Browning as they had such a good one before the war and Jim's manipulations ruined everything

A fascinating insight into one of my favourite authors

A very readable book about the author Daphne Du Maurier. I have to confess, despite having read Rebecca I knew very little about this writer's life and certainly not that she was married to a war hero who worked for the Queen when he retired from the army.
The book centres round Du Maurier's relationships beginning with her broken relationship with her mother and then moving on to her connections with JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan and the lost boys, and his family of boys that he adopted after their parents' deaths. Du Maurier know Barrie as Uncle Jim and he was an important figure in her childhood, but as she gets older she is forced to accept his friendliness may not have been all it appeared on the surface.
Du Maurier married Tommy, a major in the army. She hated being an army wife and when WW2 comes round and Tommy is abroad she uses her wealth to rent a dilapidated house in Cornwall where she moves with their children. At first the house brings her considerable happiness but hanging over her life is the memory of Uncle Jim.
This is a story that encompasses the rich and famous, affairs, dramas, sexual confusions, family secrets, mental stress and illness and eventually some degree of self-healing.
I very much enjoyed the details of the places, clothing, houses and the contemporary settings and it has certainly encouraged me to read more of Du Maurier's works.
With thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for the early copy in return for an honest review.

The Mischief Makers by Elisabeth Gifford is an autobiographical novel about the enigmatic author Daphne Du Maurier ,every bit as complex and compelling as any of her fictional characters.

The book is very much centred around relationships and hardly any of the close ones in Daphne's world were straightforward, something she ponders on at the beginning of the book which finds her reflecting on her past and on the point of a nervous breakdown.
The book largely centres around one of these relationships,that of her beloved "Uncle Jim", the author best known for writing Peter Pan ,J.M.Barrie. While not a blood relative Barrie adopted Daphne's 5 cousins and they grew in a world of laughter, adventures , and amazing stories woven around those stories that eventually were introduced to the world as Peter Pan. So why after a childhood that was almost literally a fairytale were the boys lives later dogged by tragedy and depression ? Why did that appear to be the fate of many who came into the orbit of someone who on the surface spread laughter and magic wherever he went? As Daphne unravels the complex workings of the mind of Uncle Jim she looks at herself and ponders on her own complexities and how she's affected the lives of those close to her.

At the beginning of the book I was immediately hooked then it seemed to meander somewhat into straight autobiography for a while .Daphne's early life is sketched and her family members are introduced,which of course is essential proved to be clever as from those often vague outlines the various characters become increasingly fleshed out as the book progresses and we learn their true natures and the effect they had on Daphne as their role in her life and thoughts in later life becomes clear.
From what I started this review calling an "autobiographical novel" the book delves deeper and deeper into the psychology of Daphne , those in her various circles and their often,mostly in fact, destructive and dysfunctional relationships with each other .
One love that Daphne did,almost uniquely,not crash into a wall was her love of the beautiful part of Cornwall that she lived in and was the place she found most peace,beautifully described by Elisabeth Gifford, who spent time walking in Daphne's footsteps and even briefly living in the place she loved most as part of her research for this book.

I loved this book, the essential character introduction early chapters nearly had thinking that this was going to be little more than a fictionalised and enlarged Wikipedia article but thankfully I was very wrong. Daphne's life was mixing with the rich and famous, affairs , sexual confusion, family secrets, reflection, mental illness and an eventual awareness of herself and others,not least everyone's favourite Uncle,the man whose most famous book for children hides a darkness in plain sight.