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The Birds & Don’t Look Now Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,935 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this volume we present two short stories by Daphne Du Maurier. Like Many of Du Maurier's works, the two included here, "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now," have been adapted for other media. Though we perhaps know these two disturbing tales better from Alfred Hitchcock's classic film The Birds and Nicolas Roeg's masterful occult thriller Don't Look Now, listening to their original versions still produces a terrifying, dramatic effect that typifies the work of this first-rate storyteller.
In "The Birds," Cornwall, England is under attack by flocks of kamikaze seagulls. Soon, all of England is under fire and a national emergency is declared.
In "Don't Look Now," a grieving couple travels to Venice in an attempt to overcome the death of their young daughter. There, they encounter psychic sisters and an uncanny red-cloaked figure, foretelling of a future tragedy.
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"The claustrophobic intensity of Daphne Du Maurier's "The Birds" was well captured in this narration by Peter Capaldi. In this respect, it's superior to the 1963 Hitchcock film, which padded the tale with superfluous love interest and diluted the story in the process. Here we get a sense of stifling, encroaching menace where, as in some of Poe's stories, the walls seem literally to be closing in. Unlike Hitchcock, Du Maurier offers few moments of daylight: the tale begins when the sudden transition from autumn to winter darkens the weather at the same time an avian army invades a rural home. The turn of the seasons, moreover, is paralleled by the turning of the sea-tides, tides which seem to "govern" the bird attacks; and there is, finally, the turning of a man who must change abruptly from a family provider to a family protector. While the ambiguous ending seems to annoy some readers, it is precisely this ambiguity which sharpens the sense of foreboding. Where else, we might ask, could the author have taken it? She would either have the family die a grisly death or, alternatively, serve up a "happy ending." No --- this was the ending the story merited. And in this age of climate change, who knows what forces may yet provoke the animal kingdom and spread a cloak of darkness over humanity?"
— Paul Kesler (5 out of 5 stars)
The Birds & Don’t Look Now Listener Reviews
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" Good short stories by a great writer. "
— Lulu, 2/15/2014 -
" Okay I confess, I only read The Birds and not the Other Stories, to be honest, after reading The Birds, I was rather scared and couldn't face the Other Stories. The Birds was intensely gripping so much so that I finished it within an hour - I could not put it down, the style of writing is so descriptive that you feel like you are there within their house experiencing the same terror and wanting to help with boarding up the windows and moving the furniture. However as with some of the other Daphne du Maurier books I have read, the ending was less than satisfactory and left me with a sick feeling in my stomach wondering if the family managed to survive, poor Nat. "
— Gina, 2/15/2014 -
" Although I had previously read several stories in this book, my Japanese ESL student and I have agreed to read it as our next project. She is extremely enthusiastic about it, in part because she remembers Alfred Hitchcock's film, The Birds. I always look forward to reading DuMaurier! "
— Barbara, 2/11/2014 -
" The Birds is my favorite suspense story of all time - Du Maurier is the master. "
— Leanne, 2/10/2014 -
" "The Birds" is the first thing I have ever read of Daphne Du Maurier's, and it is fantastic. Much better than the Hitchcock movie. Her command of figurative language not only allows the reader to see what is happening, but also, and for this story perhaps more importantly, to hear what is happening. This is a story that, unlike most other things I have read, appeals heavily to the sense of hearing and does a fantastic job of building tension in this way. I am looking forward to reading some of her novels. "
— Ann, 2/2/2014 -
" I just loved this book i think its one of her best works. "
— Amir, 1/30/2014 -
" The stories are morbid but still it is worth reading. Spooky kind of stories. "
— Usha, 1/26/2014 -
" Loved most of the stories in this book. Definitely worth reading. "
— Rebecca, 1/17/2014 -
" Hardly news, but Daphne du Maurier is brilliant. "
— Mary, 9/8/2013 -
" I really don't know what the hype about The Birds is. I thought The Apple Tree was far better. "
— Jackie, 8/1/2013 -
" Several of the stories will definitely stick in your mind. However, "The Birds" is by far the best. "
— Alycia, 7/6/2013 -
" Wow - I will never look at or listen to the sound of birds in the same way again. Chilling and thought provoking. The following stories were all well written and thought provoking in their own way and Daphne Du Maurier has become one of my favourite authors ever!! "
— Victoria, 12/20/2012 -
" This is my second reading of this book. I really enjoy Daphne Du Maurier's stories. My favorite in this book of short stories is "The Birds". It's ever so much better than Alfred Hitchcock's movie and much more suspenseful! "
— Sandy, 10/1/2012 -
" Much scarier than the movie! "
— Suzanne, 9/27/2012 -
" It was a great Halloween read. It makes me want to read Rebecca all over again, i just may. "
— linnea, 9/19/2012 -
" Character studies wound around suspense. Chilling, disdainful, cheeky, and full of bright, vivid imagery. "
— Jill, 5/26/2012 -
" Most of the stories are dark. While some of them are engaging and interesting to read; some are quite dull. Overall an average story book from Daphne. "
— Ankur, 4/28/2012 -
" i'm a prose, sentences-that-break-your-heart, kind of girl. daphne is a plot girl. we didn't really get along. "
— Risa, 3/5/2012 -
" Good book and du Maurier is very good with scary fiction but "The Birds" wasn't as good as I expected it to be. It sort of just ends. I guess that works but I guess I was expecting more. "
— Andy, 9/25/2011 -
" I call her the 'Mistress of Menace', because she is. 'The Apple Tree' wins the creepiness contest by the narrowest of margins over lots of her other short stories. "
— Steve, 4/9/2011 -
" J'ai particulièrement apprécié les nouvelles "mobile inconnu", "le petit photographe" et "une seconde d'éternité". "
— Mathilde, 3/4/2011 -
" The stories are morbid but still it is worth reading. Spooky kind of stories. "
— Usha, 2/13/2011 -
" I actually liked the Hitchcock movie better. "
— Janette, 9/16/2010 -
" i'm a prose, sentences-that-break-your-heart, kind of girl. daphne is a plot girl. we didn't really get along. "
— Risa, 3/1/2010 -
" Character studies wound around suspense. Chilling, disdainful, cheeky, and full of bright, vivid imagery. "
— Jill, 11/15/2009 -
" The titular short sroty is where Hitchcock got the idea for his movie. Very good short stories. "
— Denise, 2/19/2009 -
" The Birds is a bitter disappointment for fans of the movie. Amazing that such a great movie could be based on such a mediocre story. "
— Dfordoom, 11/8/2008 -
" Good to read "The Birds" and compare it with Hitchcock's film. "
— Suzanne, 10/26/2008
About Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989) was born in London, the daughter of the actor Sir Gerald du Maurier and granddaughter of the author and artist George du Maurier. She has been called one of the great shapers of popular culture and the modern imagination. She began writing in 1928, and many of her bestselling novels were set in Cornwall, where she lived for most of her life. Besides novels, du Maurier wrote plays, biographies, and several collections of short fiction. Among her more famous works are The Scapegoat, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, and the short story “The Birds,” all of which were subsequently made into films, the latter three directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
About Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi is a Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter. He has won two BAFTAs, two British Comedy Awards, an Oscar for directing the live-action short film Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, and is the Twelfth Doctor of the long-running BBC program Dr. Who. Capaldi lives in London with his wife and daughter.