The classic debut novel by the author of Rebecca following the generations of an English family coping in an era of profound change.

"Daphne du Maurier has no equal." —Sunday Telegraph

Born at the turn of the twentieth century in Cornwall, Janet Coombe longs to share in the excitement of seafaring: to travel, to have adventures, to know freedom. But constrained by the times, she marries her cousin Thomas, a boat builder, and settles down to raise a family.

Janet's loving spirit—her passionate yearning for adventure and love—is passed down to her son, and through him to his children's children. As generations of the family struggle against hardship and loss, their intricately plotted history is set against the greater backdrop of war and social change in Britain.

The Loving Spirit established du Maurier's reputation and style with an inimitable blend of romance, history and adventure.