Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier: Book #27 for 2014
Mary Yellan arrives at the eponymous Jamaica Inn following the death of her mother. This is the home of her Aunt Patience, who is living in fear of her aggressive husband, Joss Merlyn. The story largely revolves around Mary's struggles with her family, while Joss is revealed to be a smuggler; it sets up a gothic story that also involves hints of romance between Mary and Joss' brother Jem.
I read this book again because I recently watched the BBC's adaptation of the book, which was largely criticised for having actors who mumbled a lot (I didn't notice this at all); I found it good to read it just after watching the TV version as it helped me to visualise what was happening, and I found the book to be just as enjoyable as when I read it before, with the sense of atmosphere and the build up of excitement, with some shock revelations before the book's climax.
The copy that I read has a blurb that compares it to gothic novels like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, and I could definitely see this, both in the settings of the book and the brutal nature of many of the scenes. It also has some nicely unexpected twists that you probably won't see coming, and it is very easy to care about Mary right from the start.
This book was written in the early 20th century, although it does have the feel of something written in the mid-19th. I feel that I should probably read some more of Daphne DuMaurier's novels.