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The Flight of the Falcon
  
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The Flight of the Falcon (Hardcover)

by Daphne Du Maurier (Author)
2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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From Library Journal

This 1965 novel is not among du Maurier's better-known works; indeed, it is not even mentioned in her obituary in the London Times, and The New Yorker called it "extraordinarily dull." It takes place in the fictional university town of Ruffano, Italy; tour guide Armino Fabbio has returned to his childhood home, now alcoholic and homeless, after the murder of an old family servant. There he finds his brother Aldo, supposedly killed during the war; Aldo in turn believed Armino and their mother had also been killed. Aldo, insane and vicious, undertakes a play about the founder of Ruffano, Duke Claudio, against a backdrop of political unrest and town and gown conflicts. It is a dark, harsh tale of good and evil, with family secrets unearthed amidst incest, murder, rapeAthis is not light listening. James Callis's reading is very good, with fine pacing and easily distinguishable voices. It is hard not to recommend a du Maurier title, but perhaps libraries on limited budgets should look to more widely appealing fare.AHarriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From AudioFile

If ONLY Daphne du Maurier had written another book as wonderful as REBECCA. Alas, she didn't. This one is no exception. The plot--involving a cruel Italian duke and dual dimensions in time--is convoluted and tiresome. The performance, however, is something else. Narrator James Callis so inhabits the passionate and somewhat bitchy character of the protagonist, a European tour guide, it's as if one has been pulled aside from the tour group and privileged with his secrets. So uncannily real is his portrayal that one cannot quite square the earnest young face on the back of the audio package with the urbane voice coming out of the headphones. If Callis can do this much with such dull material, what could he do with something wonderful? E.K.D. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
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2.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars "No one could walk by night for fear of the of Falcon's sudden descent into the city, Jun 18 2009
By Misfit (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Flight of the Falcon (Paperback)
....when, aided by his followers, he would seize and ravage...."

Oooh, I just love Du Maurier, she always delivers the goods. Armino Fabbio is working for Sunshine tours and while in Rome with his beef and barbarians (Americans and Brits) he comes across a down and out woman at the steps of a church, a woman who reminds him of someone from his childhood. Taking pity he slips her some money, but she later ends up murdered and Armino blames himself - if it hadn't been for the money no one would have robbed and then murdered her - or so he reasons. Distraught over the woman's identity he takes a holiday from his job and heads north to the city where he was born and where he recalls the murdered woman - Ruffano. Once there he finds himself and everyone around him being manipulated by a master puppeteer, who like Lazarus has returned from the dead.

Outside of that I'm not going to tell much more as I'd ruin it for the rest of you. Du Maurier slowly builds her story into one heck of a climax as Armino finds himself in the midst of rival student factions and campus politics, all of which culminates in the final plot to recreate the "flight" of The Falcon, the first Duke of Ruffano, for the city festival - but will this flight end as disastrously as the first one? Read it for yourself. Despite a bit of a slow start, the finish was a nail-biter and she keeps you guessing until the very end. 4/5 stars.
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1.0 out of 5 stars Dreary, Dull, and Depressing, July 16 2004
By Mark D. Meadows (Cassville, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Flight of the Falcon (Paperback)
I looked forward to this book, as I loved "Rebecca" and "Jamaica Inn." Sorry to say, this was one of those books that I thought would never end. I kept hoping page after page that it would get better. I did not care for any of the characters, nor what they were doing. The plot was contrived and dull. If I ever write a book, I hope it holds my interest more than this one did!
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