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My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel

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  • Create Date：2021-05-29 11:54:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Daphne du Maurier
  • ISBN：1844080404
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Summary

I threw the piece of paper on the fire。 She saw it burn。。。

Orphaned at an early age， Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin， Ambrose。 Resolutely single， Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir， a man who will come to love his grand house as much as he does himself。 But the cosy world the two have constructed is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence。 There he falls in love and marries - and there he dies suddenly。

In almost no time at all， the new widow - Philip's cousin Rachel - turns up in England。 Despite himself， Philip is drawn to this beautiful， sophisticated， mysterious woman like a moth to the flame。 And yet。。。 might she have had a hand in Ambrose's death？

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Reviews

Camila ，

Simp: The Book。

Tinea ，

I absolutely love Daphne du Maurier。 Her books always have a twist right at the end--the original Gillian Flynn。

Amy ，

4。5 stars

Janel A。 ，

The pace and prose was beautiful as you would expect from Daphne Du Maurier。 I could smell the sea air and the gardens described and really felt transported to the time and place of the story。

Sammy ，

I enjoyed Rebecca， but I think I enjoyed My Cousin Rachel more - firstly as I'm a sucker for a historical setting， and secondly as the protagonists were much more enjoyable。 In Rebecca， Maxim's shadiness and the narrator's meekness were one-note to the point of exasperation; in My Cousin Rachel， there are times we like Philip and Rachel， times we despise them; times we believe the best of them， and times we believe the worst of them。 Du Maurier's books seem caught in a curious halfway house betw I enjoyed Rebecca， but I think I enjoyed My Cousin Rachel more - firstly as I'm a sucker for a historical setting， and secondly as the protagonists were much more enjoyable。 In Rebecca， Maxim's shadiness and the narrator's meekness were one-note to the point of exasperation; in My Cousin Rachel， there are times we like Philip and Rachel， times we despise them; times we believe the best of them， and times we believe the worst of them。 Du Maurier's books seem caught in a curious halfway house between literary fiction and suspense， which sometimes works against them， because the suspense is such that you're tempted to skim over the - admittedly beautiful and prophetically foreboding - descriptions of the Cornish landscape， weather， and the grand estates which are almost a third protagonist， just to find out what happens。 So I had to slow myself down， whilst internally shouting 'I。。。 NEED。。。 TO。。。 KNOW。。。' But never was I bored。 Just eager。 An enjoyable read！ 。。。more

Brandi Breezee ，

So good。 Intriguing。 Couldn’t stop reading！

Patricia ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Puro suspense y misterio， de los antiguos。 ¿Por qué no he leído antes a Daphne？ Me ha encantado la atmósfera siniestra que tan bien describe， con ese paraje de Cornualles， esos acantilados， ese caserón rodeado de tierras y ese personaje de la prima Rachel que tanto te hace dudar。 Concretamente hasta las últimas páginas del libro no sabes qué debes opinar de Rachel， te esperas cualquier desenlace porque estás todo el rato con esa incógnita。 Analiza muy bien en qué puede ir derivando una teoría cu Puro suspense y misterio， de los antiguos。 ¿Por qué no he leído antes a Daphne？ Me ha encantado la atmósfera siniestra que tan bien describe， con ese paraje de Cornualles， esos acantilados， ese caserón rodeado de tierras y ese personaje de la prima Rachel que tanto te hace dudar。 Concretamente hasta las últimas páginas del libro no sabes qué debes opinar de Rachel， te esperas cualquier desenlace porque estás todo el rato con esa incógnita。 Analiza muy bien en qué puede ir derivando una teoría cuando tienes inclinación a creerla。Lo peor， el personaje principal que además es el que cuenta la historia， Philip。 No se puede ser más pesado， bobo， impulsivo y manejable de lo que es。 Básicamente un niñato。*Spoiler final: Philip comienza odiándola porque la culpa de la muerte de su primo Ambrose; tras conocerla cae rendido a ella y se enamora， estado en el que se encuentra el 80% de la historia， cuando le cede toda su herencia; al final， cuando empieza a ponerse enfermo， descubre unas plantas venenosas en su mesilla y piensa que le ha estado envenenando， lo cual encaja con todas las cartas que recibió de su primo， así que la deja que tenga un accidente en un puente en construcción sin avisarle; finalmente se ve que era inocente， pero ups！ Muere。 。。。more

Kate jeffs ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Love it Favourite book of the last year and love how the young naive philip is manipulated。Ahead of its time with the female being the protagonist and the level of control used etcBeautifully written

Rafaya Ahmed ，

Interesting and very captivating。 Although I already was able to guess the plot， but the writing style was very enjoyable。

Kaitlin Jundt ，

This was great！ My love/hate for every character drove me crazy but made the book a perfect disaster！ Part of me enjoyed this even more than I enjoyed "Rebecca"。 This was great！ My love/hate for every character drove me crazy but made the book a perfect disaster！ Part of me enjoyed this even more than I enjoyed "Rebecca"。 。。。more

Claudia ，

I’m not sure what to think about this book。 Rachel sure was cunning。 I couldn’t believe everything Phillip was doing for his cousin Rachel。 Didn’t see or expect it would end the way it did。

Yolanda Sfetsos ，

I've been meaning to get stuck into this book for a while， and when I mentioned it to hubby the other day， he recommended I make it my next read。 So， I did！Philip Ashley was raised by his much older cousin， Ambrose and looks up to him。 Ambrose is a little spiky， sickly in the winter and doesn't seem to like women much。 So when he tells Philip he's met someone abroad and marries her， Philip is concerned。 But that's nothing compared to what happens after Ambrose dies。 Yet， Cousin Rachel is unlike I've been meaning to get stuck into this book for a while， and when I mentioned it to hubby the other day， he recommended I make it my next read。 So， I did！Philip Ashley was raised by his much older cousin， Ambrose and looks up to him。 Ambrose is a little spiky， sickly in the winter and doesn't seem to like women much。 So when he tells Philip he's met someone abroad and marries her， Philip is concerned。 But that's nothing compared to what happens after Ambrose dies。 Yet， Cousin Rachel is unlike anyone he's ever met before， and Philip eventually finds himself caught up in her very alluring web。。。OMG。 This turned out to be quite a wicked and tangled story dripping with so much ambiguity， I'll be thinking about this for years to come。Is Rachel guilty？ Is she innocent？ Funny enough， none of that matters once you get lost in this lush and bleak gothic story。 There's just so much crammed into this， and all of it packs quite a punch。I have to admit， I was pretty much hooked from the very beginning。 There's something highly addictive about Daphne du Maurier's writing。 She paints such an intricate picture of what should be mundane situations and locations， but darkens them with an air of malice that draws me in every time。 The same thing happened with Rebecca。 I love getting swept away by lush prose and wicked stories， so this is my perfect reading ambience。As much as I suspected Rachel early on， but kept changing my mind， I found it really hard to feel much sympathy for Ambrose or Philip。 These privileged men are wealthy， have such high opinions of themselves and despise women so much for no other reason than choosing not to be exposed to them， that it was easy to dislike them。 And to not trust much of what Phillip narrates。I mean， I did feel some empathy for Philip because he's an orphaned boy who was raised so closed off from the rest of the world， that he didn't get a chance to experience much through his own eyes。 His whole life， even after his cousin's death， is seen through Ambrose-coloured glasses。There's a lot of commentary woven into this story about strong independent women who are comfortable in their sexuality。 As well as the silliness of men who lose their shit over a woman， while still trying to convince everyone that women are weaker and too emotional。 😒That's okay， we all saw the truth。 And I love how it was expressed in this story via Philip's obsession and suspicion。I really enjoyed this darkly gothic treat， and didn't expect that ending。 Or maybe I did。 。。。more

MargaretDH ，

Oh man。 This is EXCELLENT。 I got a ton just reading this， but I would love a seminar class on this book so I could chat with others about unreliable narrators， feminism and the use of setting to influence tone。 I really wish I had chosen this for book club。 There's so much here to talk about。Du Maurier writes so well - Philip Ambrose is such a jerk， but she still manages to make him semi-sympathetic。 And she neatly threads the needle of showing us Rachel's actions through his eyes， while allowin Oh man。 This is EXCELLENT。 I got a ton just reading this， but I would love a seminar class on this book so I could chat with others about unreliable narrators， feminism and the use of setting to influence tone。 I really wish I had chosen this for book club。 There's so much here to talk about。Du Maurier writes so well - Philip Ambrose is such a jerk， but she still manages to make him semi-sympathetic。 And she neatly threads the needle of showing us Rachel's actions through his eyes， while allowing us to understand that Philip may not be seeing things exactly as they are。 Plus， Cornwall is so vividly drawn， it made me feel like I took a small vacation there。 。。。more

Grace ，

good for her

Yoana ，

СПОЙЛЕРИ！Класическата история за мъж， който се влюбва в жена， подкупва я， след това я заплашва и накрая я убива。 И през цялото време обвинява нея за всичко。 Колко потискащо често се разиграва този наратив （е， без последната част обикновено） включително в действителността。Отвореният въпрос накрая за мен е с доста очевиден отговор - Рейчъл може да е манипулаторка （ако единственият начин да не умреш от глад минава през благоволението на някой мъж， нямаш друг избор）， но не е убийца。 Първо защото ням СПОЙЛЕРИ！Класическата история за мъж， който се влюбва в жена， подкупва я， след това я заплашва и накрая я убива。 И през цялото време обвинява нея за всичко。 Колко потискащо често се разиграва този наратив （е， без последната част обикновено） включително в действителността。Отвореният въпрос накрая за мен е с доста очевиден отговор - Рейчъл може да е манипулаторка （ако единственият начин да не умреш от глад минава през благоволението на някой мъж， нямаш друг избор）， но не е убийца。 Първо защото няма изгода от смъртта нито на Амброуз， нито на Филип - първият не е подписал завещанието е нейна полза， а вторият вече ѝ е дарил всичко - и второ защото няма нито едно доказателство за това， напротив， има косвени доказателства за грижовно отношение към тях: грижи се за тях， докато са болни; връща семейните скъпоценности， без да каже на никого за това; в частните ѝ писма до единствения ѝ довереник няма и намек за сметки и планове; тя всъщност не лъже Филип за чувствата си в нито един момент; а за болестта на Амброуз има обективно， несвързано с Рейчъл и с Италия обяснение - наследствен елемент от собствения му баща。Общо взето книгата разчита на един от множеството вкусове женомразие в мейнстрийма， за да може из0бщо да претендира за друг прочит освен очевидния - разчита читателят да е дресиран в очакването жените да са по природа коварни， ненадеждни， проводници на зло。 Така лесно ще повярва на настоятелното внушение в тази посока от страна на ненадеждния разказвач Филип， който точно през тази призма вижда жените， с които няма никакъв опит。 Ако махнем неговия филтър， остава доста недвусмислената история на една жена， която е свикнала да харчи много и не разполага с други възможности за доход освен благоволението на мъже。 Тя просто не е подозирала колко голям ефект ще имат усилията ѝ в случая ня Филип。 Ако погледнем действията на Рейчъл， абстрахирайки се от кометарите на Филип， виждаме една жена， която се опитва да оцелее， да плати дълговете си， да се върне в родината си и да бъде свободна。 Тя се държи сърдечно с Филип， отдава дължимото внимание на родинините и приятелите му， занимава се с любимото си хоби， страхува се， когато той я заплашва， защото вече е преминала през това с братовчед му， прави опит да се защити от насилие， като вика друга жена в къщата - всичко това той тълкува през най-зловещия възможен прочит и от читателя се очаква да откликне， защото и той е интернализирал същите женомразки нагласи към жените， особено когато отказват да дадат на мъжете каквото искат。 И до ден-днешен страшно много мъже не могат да проумеят， че тяхното желание към дадена жена не поражда задължение за ответни чувства или за удовлетворяването му у нея， и за тях отказът сам по себе си е наглост и доказателство за коварство。 Поставете се на мястото на Рейчъл - в общество， в което по принуда винаги зависиш от някой мъж за оцеляването си， изведнъж ти пада възможност за пълна независимост， при това законна и порядъчна възможност （все пак те Е вдовица на собственика на имението）。 Ще се откажете ли от безценната и така невъзможна свобода， за да се обвържете с момче， което не обичате， и по този начин да жертвате и живота си в родината， и приятелите си， и всичко， с което сте свикнали？ Не， но от жените това някак си се очаква， да подчиняват живота си на желанията на мъжете。 И книгата го показва блестящо。Романът е абсолютен мастърклас， както почти всичко на Дафни дю Морие， която заслужава много по-висока оценка， отколкото ѝ е дала литературната история。 Поддържа постоянно усещане за витаеща заплаха， за нещо зловещо под повърхността и накрая отказва да удовлетвори читателя с отговор。 Индивидуалният извод на всеки читател е и знак за отношението му към жените като цяло。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

（3。5） It’s probably a decade or more since I read anything by Daphne du Maurier。 The three novels of hers that I know are Rebecca （of course）， Jamaica Inn， and The House on the Strand。 I’m glad I finally got to this one: it has a gripping storyline and the title character is a complex woman it’s impossible to make up your mind about。To start with， we have an opening line that’s sure to make my year-end superlatives post: “They used to hang men at Four Turnings in the old days。” The whole first c （3。5） It’s probably a decade or more since I read anything by Daphne du Maurier。 The three novels of hers that I know are Rebecca （of course）， Jamaica Inn， and The House on the Strand。 I’m glad I finally got to this one: it has a gripping storyline and the title character is a complex woman it’s impossible to make up your mind about。To start with， we have an opening line that’s sure to make my year-end superlatives post: “They used to hang men at Four Turnings in the old days。” The whole first chapter is heavy with foreboding， most of which I didn’t pick up on。 It’s clear at once that the narrator， a young man named Philip Ashley， feels guilty for the situation he finds himself in， but can’t decide whether Rachel shares his culpability。 Philip is the ward and heir of his older cousin， Ambrose， who winters in Florence for his health but on his latest trip marries Rachel， a widow and distant half-Italian cousin who also has roots in Cornwall， and stays in Italy。From what little he learns of her through Ambrose’s increasingly incoherent letters， Philip is predisposed to dislike Rachel。 When Ambrose dies of a suspected brain tumour， Philip is alarmed to hear that Rachel has already emptied their Florence villa and is reluctant to meet her when she arrives in Plymouth some weeks later。 But she is not what he expected: just 35 and beautiful; with a passion for garden design and herbal medicine; witty and gently flirtatious。 Before long Philip is smitten。 “Why， in heaven’s name， did she have to be so different and play such havoc with my plans？”The plot revolves around Ambrose’s unsigned will and what it means for the ownership of the Ashleys’ Cornwall estate。 Philip is now 24， but on his 25th birthday， which happens to fall on April Fool’s Day， he will come into his inheritance and can make his own decisions。 Will Rachel， notorious for her extravagant spending， bewitch him into altering the will to her advantage？ A pearl necklace， hidden letters， a beggar woman， churchyard conversations， tisanes， lavish curtains， and a foppish Italian visitor form the backdrop to this Gothic tale。I never succeeded in dating the action: the only major clue is that it takes three weeks to travel between southwest England and Florence， which seems to point to the nineteenth century。 But a lack of definite markers makes the story feel timeless and almost like a fairy tale。 Although she shrewdly looks out for her own interests and can manipulate Philip’s emotions， Rachel is no stereotypical witch。 Sally Beauman’s introduction to my Virago paperback usefully points out that we only ever see Rachel through the male gaze （Philip’s perhaps unreliable narration and Ambrose’s letters） and that from the title onward she is defined in relation to men。 In making a bid for her own independent life， she is the true heroine of what Beauman calls du Maurier’s “most overtly feminist” novel。I always love the murky atmosphere of du Maurier’s work， but can find her plots contrived。 However， this ended up being my favourite of the four I’ve read so far。 Initially， it reminded me of E。M。 Forster’s Where Angels Fear to Tread， while by the end I was wondering if Janet Fitch took it as inspiration for White Oleander。 There’s an unusual pair for you！ Make of it what you will…Originally published on my blog， Bookish Beck。 。。。more

Esther Schmit ，

Written in beautiful prose this tells a story that left me thinking about what really happened。

bella ，

honestly，i do prefer de mauriers’ other work more than this book， but that doesn’t mean this book didn’t grip me and leaving me thinking about it all day。 it did lack the suspense rebecca or jamaica inn had， but i enjoyed how it was executed up to the ending。

Melinda Farley ，

I picked this up because I love her book Rebecca but this was just a little too boring and slow for me at times。 The premise of the story was good and she is great at forming a mystery that leaves you hanging but it was actually going so slow for me that I skipped ahead to the end and found that I hadn't missed much but I did enjoy those last two chapters seeing how it ended！ I picked this up because I love her book Rebecca but this was just a little too boring and slow for me at times。 The premise of the story was good and she is great at forming a mystery that leaves you hanging but it was actually going so slow for me that I skipped ahead to the end and found that I hadn't missed much but I did enjoy those last two chapters seeing how it ended！ 。。。more

William Thomas ，

There are too many reviews on this site referring to the “ambiguity” in My Cousin Rachel。 The novel does not use ambiguity as a literary device in the way of， say， Joseph Conrad。 Instead， it is a cowardly way to write an updated penny-dreadful。 As a hack children’s author might have a young person awake from an adventure wondering if it were naught but a dream， not to see a relic of the adventure on their desk or some such nonsense。 In this， the book fails entirely。 What can we as the reader gai There are too many reviews on this site referring to the “ambiguity” in My Cousin Rachel。 The novel does not use ambiguity as a literary device in the way of， say， Joseph Conrad。 Instead， it is a cowardly way to write an updated penny-dreadful。 As a hack children’s author might have a young person awake from an adventure wondering if it were naught but a dream， not to see a relic of the adventure on their desk or some such nonsense。 In this， the book fails entirely。 What can we as the reader gain from this type of ambiguity in a mystery novel？ What I want are hard edges and hard decisions that may be morally ambiguous， but not the “oh， we will never know the truth of a woman’s heart” stuff this book goes on and on about， or the guilty conscience of a character who may have made the wrong decision。 Gag。 Where it excels is in the extreme Britishness of wit and playfulness in many characterizations， interactions， the glimpses into the lives of these people and some of the sharper mystery elements。 Having gotten through this one， I may not move on to Rebecca as I’d planned。 Grade: C 。。。more

Ella ，

Du Maurier really is the master of the atmospheric novel。 Her prose is somehow seductive， I was enraptured。。。 and remain undecided whether this is better than Rebecca。 Excellent。

jess ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 the only poisoning i allow is phantom thread’s。 never felt sympathy for rachel （because she’s definitely guilty and for what！） and found myself rooting for philip。 although my soft spot for this himbo dwindled towards the end。 he’s just a plain fool for love。 he’s bound to die anyway whether he married rachel or not。。。 he outsmarted her for once but soon enough he’s going to bring his guilt to his grave。

Mary ，

Such great writing！ The ending was abrupt， which I think was du Maurier's intention， but it left me wanting more。 Otherwise I loved everything about this book。 Such great writing！ The ending was abrupt， which I think was du Maurier's intention， but it left me wanting more。 Otherwise I loved everything about this book。 。。。more

Elin Bladmyr ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 8A suspenseful read that kept the tension going right until the final words。 A story with a lot of depth that leaves the reader wondering what was real and what was suspicion and paranoia at the end？ This story also seemed to reflect some sort of power struggle between the sexes。 At the beginning of the story Philip and Ambrose leads a secluded life away from females。 There's hints at aunt Phoebe who lived in the house a short while and then left for a man， leaving the house with Philip， Ambrose 8A suspenseful read that kept the tension going right until the final words。 A story with a lot of depth that leaves the reader wondering what was real and what was suspicion and paranoia at the end？ This story also seemed to reflect some sort of power struggle between the sexes。 At the beginning of the story Philip and Ambrose leads a secluded life away from females。 There's hints at aunt Phoebe who lived in the house a short while and then left for a man， leaving the house with Philip， Ambrose and only male servants。 When Ambrose leaves because of illness and sends back word that he will bring his wife back with him the men left behind quiver in fear。 Their happy lifes will come to an end， a female intruder will arrive。 Ambrose dies in Italy that is described as a harsh， warm and dry country。 Philips view of it is disheartening and so is his view of females。 He learns of Ambroses fate and goes back， with the female closing in behind him。 Here the female sex takes control as Philip slowly but surely falls in love。 All the while however he tries to bind her to him， control her and make her stay with him by all means necessary。 It is apparent that he wants to own her。 I have read somewhere that if a man put a ring on a womans finger it symbolises love， if he put on a bracelet it symbolises handcuffs， and therefore activities in the bedroom。。。 but if he put on a necklace that symbolises a dog collar he wishes to own her like you own a dog。 Maybe Daphne du maurier， didn't read this but it works in my interpretation because Philip puts a necklace around Rachels throat。 The same throat that he later tries to strangle when she doesn't want him。 Here he starts to grow desperate， he has tried everything to make her stay。 He has given her all he owns and more and still she has power over him。 She has her own will and will not bow down to him。 The female is in control and plans to leave。 In a flash he sees her as evil， and he has a partner in crime， Louise that in this interpretation conspires against her own sex as is not that unusual in literature。 Groundless accusations and suspicions arrive and then he gains control again for she dies by him not telling her about the broken bridge。 The male won。 And at last the final words that take us back to the beginning and the man who killed his wife because she was a wretch。 The male sex won。。That is one way to view this book， but of course it was also just a great read。 I was amazed by the fact that no character was black or white。 I could easily understand the actions of each one and take every side。 Just like with Rebecca， Daphne du maurier is great at describing a character without getting her side of the story。 This book was mostly about Rachel just as Rebecca was mostly about Rebecca without either of them being the main character。 。。。more

Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore ，

This is the first of my （hopefully） two reads for Daphne du Maurier reading week between 10 and 16 May 2021， hosted by Ali at Heavenali。 A story of suspicion， jealousy， love， infatuation and murder， set in du Maurier’s beloved Cornwall。My Cousin Rachel （1952） is narrated in the voice of Philip Ashley—Philip， 24 when the book opens， is an orphan and has been brought up by his older cousin Ambrose who has taken the place of his parents and has never let him feel their absence。 Ambrose is a confirm This is the first of my （hopefully） two reads for Daphne du Maurier reading week between 10 and 16 May 2021， hosted by Ali at Heavenali。 A story of suspicion， jealousy， love， infatuation and murder， set in du Maurier’s beloved Cornwall。My Cousin Rachel （1952） is narrated in the voice of Philip Ashley—Philip， 24 when the book opens， is an orphan and has been brought up by his older cousin Ambrose who has taken the place of his parents and has never let him feel their absence。 Ambrose is a confirmed bachelor and has raised Philip in a house with no women （after he sent the nanny packing when Philip was 3）。 While Philip has studied at Harrow and been trained for and can manage Ambrose’s estate （to which he is the heir）， he has in most ways led a very sheltered existence。 The only people he interacts with other than the tenants are his godfather， Nick Kendall and his daughter Louise， and the vicar Mr Pascoe and his family。 We learn as the narrative starts that Ambrose has not been in the best of health over the past few years and has been advised to travel abroad each winter which he has been doing， visiting different parts of the continent and bringing back new trees and plants which are his interest。 But this year， on his travels to Italy， he runs into the Contessa Sangalletti or Cousin Rachel （a sort of relation of the family）， who shares his interest in gardens。 Before long， Ambrose has fallen in love with Rachel and married her （we learn all this through letters Philip receives）。 Instead of returning with his bride， Ambrose stays on in Florence to take care of some business for his bride， and then his letters start to become infrequent。 Then suddenly， after Philip receives some mysterious and uncharacteristic letters from Ambrose， Ambrose dies。 Given the circumstances， Philip who has already been jealous of Ambrose being taken away from him， and anxious over the changes that might occur （which others are ever ready to point out） is angry and suspects that Rachel is responsible for what has happened to Ambrose—all sorts of images of her are formed in his mind， none particularly pleasant。 But then Rachel herself arrives in Cornwall， and Philip is left dumbfounded for she is nothing like he has been visualising。 He is almost instantly captivated and soon refuses to listen to anything against her， whether it comes from his godfather/guardian Nick Kendall who warns him of Rachel’s extravagance nor Ambrose’s own words in letters later recovered。 Even Louise Kendall’s voice falls on deaf ears。 But then， events take another surprising turn。This was a book that captured me from the very start （and kept me hooked all through）。 The opening chapter itself， where Philip aged seven walking with Ambrose witnesses a rather grotesque sight sends shivers down one’s spine， and in an eerie way， sets the tone for the theme that is always at the back of one’s mind—murder （whether or not it happened， that is）。Philip’s naivety stands out to us all throughout， for like a sulky child， he is quick to be jealous of Ambrose’s decision to be married， to （perhaps， justifiably） be suspicious of Rachel， and then again to take an almost 180 degree turn as he falls into her spell。 While in matters of business he may be efficient， in relationships and judging people， he is not only immature but also headstrong， acting without thinking， and listening to no one。 Though one must say that even the other characters （Louise for instance） seem to give contradictory opinions at times。 As we read on， the suspense keeps building up， and one keeps wondering what secrets will be revealed， and what will unfold （despite it being a reread， I didn’t remember the exact sequence of events）。 The Cornish landscape may be plays less of a role than in some of her other books though it is very much there—the house itself， and the walks they take， and so on。 As Rachel has Philip entranced （or as we think， entrapped） and doing her every bidding， du Maurier has us entirely convinced that Rachel is indeed manipulating him to get what she wants， and believing that we are spectators to what will certainly be Philip’s downfall。 In fact， she gets us to become quite smug as we watch events unfold and Philip make one stupid mistake after another playing right into Rachel’s hands。 And then she stumps us once again， leaving us pretty much like Philip is left as the end。 Was Rachel really evil or was it simply Philip’s overactive imagination？ 。。。more

Miriam ，

Holy freaking crap， I FINALLY finished it。 I don’t know why I chose to read this now， at the end of the school year， when my brain is exhausted and I should just be reading fluffy things， and the result was that it took me way longer than it should have to finish it。 I’m not sure I “get” all of it right now， although it’s a Du Maurier， and so it is obviously a commentary on the imbalanced relations and social expectations of men and women。 Who is the villain here？ I have my suspicions but I don’ Holy freaking crap， I FINALLY finished it。 I don’t know why I chose to read this now， at the end of the school year， when my brain is exhausted and I should just be reading fluffy things， and the result was that it took me way longer than it should have to finish it。 I’m not sure I “get” all of it right now， although it’s a Du Maurier， and so it is obviously a commentary on the imbalanced relations and social expectations of men and women。 Who is the villain here？ I have my suspicions but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who still hasn’t read it。 The more I think about it， the more my belief that Du Maurier was a genius ahead of her time is validated。 。。。more

Anne Muskin ，

Not my favorite of her books。 This one moved a lot slower， but still a fun twist and read。

Maya Arellanes ，

I loved this book。 Makes me want to re-read Rebecca （ I apparently gave it 3 stars in high school。 Idiot 🙄）。 Or maybe I’ll just seek out other books by Daphne。 I saw that some people thought it was too slow/too boring。 Not I！ I would love to discuss with people if they think Rachel is an angel or a fiend！！！！！！

Rumaysa S ，

wow。 （though i liked The Scapegoat better）

Janeen ，

i’m not sure this one was for me

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Cousin Rachel

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Cousin Rachel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Cousin Rachel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0