The Rocks of Valpré (novel)

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The Rocks of Valpré
AuthorEthel M. Dell
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreDrama
PublisherUnwin
Putnam (US)
Publication date
1913
Media typePrint

The Rocks of Valpré is a 1913 novel by the British writer Ethel M. Dell. First published in the United States in 1913.[1] It is set in the mid-nineteenth century when an officer wrongly imprisoned on Devil's Island escapes and heads to Europe to rescue the love of his life from the villain.

Reception[edit]

Contemporary reviews of the novel were mixed. The New York Times called the novel "a well constructed and closely knit tale."[2] Other reviews noted its "sentimentality", with the Boston Transcript calling the novel a "deft old fashioned novel with much variety of interest and some effective character drawing. It comes dangerously near shipwreak on the rock of sentimentality, but never becomes quite mawkish."[2]

It was a bestseller, including in Canada.[3]

Adaptations[edit]

The novel has twice been adapted into a film. A 1919 silent version The Rocks of Valpré was directed by Maurice Elvey.[4] In 1935 a sound version The Rocks of Valpré was directed by Henry Edwards.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dell, Ethel M. (1 January 1913). The rocks of Valpre. New York: A. L. Burt.
  2. ^ a b "Dell, Ethel May. Rocks of Valpre". Book Review Digest. H.W. Wilson Company. 1 January 1915. p. 145.
  3. ^ Findlay I. Weaver (1 May 1915). "Best Selling Book of the Month: A Review of "The Rocks of Valpre, by Ethel M. Dell". Maclean's. pp. 94–96. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 122. ISBN 9783110951943.