DAPHNE DU MAURIER: My Cousin Rachel

Listened on audio 2009. Sensual, intelligent and chilling.

Philip Ashley, a young upper-class man, has been raised in an all male environment by his cousin Ambrose and has little knowledge of women. When Ambrose travels to Italy and marries the enigmatic Rachel, later in life, Philip is jealous and sullen. Ambrose dies abroad suddenly and Philip’s anguish and his spite towards Rachel is exacerbated by several posthumous letters hinting at sexual intrigue, financial shenanigans and poisoning...

When Rachel arrives in England, Philip's instinct gradually ebbs away and his feelings deepen from fascination to obsession. It appears that history is about to repeat itself, with Philip falling her under her spell just as Ambrose before him…… but, who is Rachel ultimately? Is she the sweet, charming, playful and mischievous woman driven by emotion that Philip falls passionately in love with? Or is she the cold, manipulative woman others think her to be, out for financial gain and a murderess to boot?

In this heart-wrenching tale of love, longing and tragedy, the plot is intelligently structured with an intimate portrayal of the characters leading to the final twist. At the close of the novel, when Philip becomes responsible for her death, all expectations are reversed and the reader is left to question whether Rachel was good, mad, bad or indifferent and who was right, or wrong?

Daphne Du Maurier lives and breathes her characters, taking the reader under their skin to produce a novel that is bleak, brooding, lush and chilling. The novel works around the notion that love is blind and explores perception, deception, individual and collective reality.

Classic Fiction Novel
Published in 1951 ( )

Dear Mrs. Du Maurier,

I so enjoyed your classic novel, Rebecca, that I resolved to read more of your work. While I quite enjoyed Jamaica Inn, I feel compelled to tell you of my disappointment in My Cousin Rachel. I know Rebecca was a smashing success -- in fact, over 70 years later it is still your most famous and best-loved work -- but that's no excuse for rehashing the same characters and themes. To wit:

* Young, impressionable protagonist (female in Rebecca; male in Rachel)
* Older, strangely sinister romantic interest (male in Rebecca; female in Rachel)
* Iconic dead person (female in Rebecca; male in Rachel)
* Large manor house replete with servants
* Occasional travel to mediterranean countries
* Young, impressionable protagonist keeping silly secrets that later embarrass them in front of a crowd

Honestly, Mrs. Du Maurier, did you run out of creative inspiration in the thirteen years between these two novels? At least Rebecca offered suspense and unexpected plot twists. My Cousin Rachel was predictable from the beginning. I knew Philip would fall for Rachel. When I suspected foul play, it turned out there was indeed foul play. The bad guys were glaringly bad, and the good guys were good as gold. Not a single one turned out bad in the end. Incidental characters that I thought might turn out to be important, just disappeared into the woodwork. And when the servant gave Philip that warning, not 10 pages before the end of the book, I threw my hands up in frustration. Sure enough, things came to an end just as he'd warned.

What happened? Were you under pressure to publish another novel? Were you running out of steam after such a prolific career? I notice that you turned to short stories for a time after publishing My Cousin Rachel; perhaps you just needed a break.

I have not given up on you, Mrs. Du Maurier, far from it -- but I think I'll focus on your earlier work.
Fondly,
Laura ( )

Philip is mourning the recent death of his beloved cousin/guardian Ambrose Ashley when the new widow Rachel comes to visit. Is she a natural charmer or a clever manipulator? Philip's determination to resist her lasts only a short time before he falls under her spell. Very little suspense here. Some lovely writing, but this tale of greed and gullibility was mostly just a sad ghost of the masterpiece Rebecca. ( )

I cannot believe that this book was originally published in 1951! I read Rebecca ages ago and loved it but I had never even heard of My Cousin Rachel until just a few months ago. I'm so glad I did.

This is one of those stories where you sort of know how things will play out, but you continue to turn the pages because the characters are so richly drawn and the evil is almost too subtle to pick up that you feel the need to really focus on every line as some little clue might pop up. I just love these types of stories.

Philip is so utterly taken with Rachel that he is incredibly frustrating at times, but the dynamic between to the two characters is so tightly wound, that you just expect him (or her) to snap at any moment. The descriptive details of the estate itself were quite well written. I felt as if I were walking the grounds myself at times.

In the end, it was an incredibly satisfying read and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy soon. I also cannot say enough about the cover of the re-release. It's stunning. ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/20... ( )