Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Dell
Date Published: 1985
ISBN-13:9780440159933ISBN:0440159938
Description: Acceptable. Small twist of solid spine; moderate age color and school stamp on pp; very heavy crease on back of clean, shiny cover; a well intact reading copy. read more
Edition: Sears Readers Club
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: Sears Readers Club
Date Published: 1952
Description: Good + in Good jacket. Hard Cover. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Sears Readers Club Edition. Moderate to heavy wear. DJ has a piece missing at top of spine and running to back, top; about 4 inches. Binding tight, pages clean, age yellowed. PON on FEP and PO intitials on inside front DJ flap. (Store Display-Gen Fic) read more
"Published in the early 1950s, this book has the feel of a great black and white drama from the same period. (In fact, I had heard of the movie starring Olivia de Havilland and as I was reading the book, I mentally cast her into the role of the conniving Rachel.) 'My Cousin Rachel' is one of those fun reads that will keep you engaged and guessing for several nights.
Du Maurier fully develops complex and interesting characters. Rachel is a terrific example; we don't really know if she poisoned her husband or not, her supposed evil is subtle but totally believable. Ambrose is a bit insipid but sympathetic in his (possibly?) self-destructive love of his beautiful cousin. Phillip is immature in his unreliable judgment (you may find yourself saying "oh come on!" several times) but we find ourselves pulling for him anyway.
The prose is fluid although somewhat formal in the style of the day it was written. Du Maurier's description of both the English countryside and the Italian villa are beautifully suggestive. The plot is fun and never predictable.
Du Maurier is a master of romantic suspense. I did not enjoy this book quite as much as 'Rebecca' but I would still recommend it to any fan of the genre or to anyone who loves a good story."
"This one was hard for me to rate. Did I like the story? Not really, I prefer books that make you feel uplifted and satisfied at the end. This book left me haunted. Is it a good book? Absolutely! It is haunting and compelling, and I stayed up way too late last night finishing it. I couldn't put it down! Rachel is such a fascinating character. So ... 1-2 stars for my personal enjoyment, 4-5 stars for being a fascinating read. I guess it gets 3 stars from me.
A few specific points: ~ The first chapter totally lost me! I recommend going back and re-reading it after you finish the book. It makes more sense and is so much more interesting. ~ Philip's obsession with Rachel is a little over-the-top. ~ I enjoyed the haunting feeling of the book - the felling of impending disaster.
I wish I had read this with a book group, because it would be so fascinating to discuss."
"I liked the writing in this book. It took a little bit of a mind tweak for me, but then it was great. I am not sure I am a fan of ambiguous endings. Book group will be interesting to see where everyone falls in what they think Rachel was up to, if anything. Being a straight first person narrative - with only a couple of letters that Philip records from others - nothing is definite, as everything is simply Philip's perception. I think Rachel may have married Ambrose for love - or was it her impulsiveness? Did she poison him? Did he have a brain tumor AND she poisoned him? Too hard to tell. But I think she preyed upon Philip's naivete and schemed to get that money. Maybe she developed feelings for him along the way. As for Rainaldi, maybe he really was just trying to keep her afloat and there was nothing sinister about him. See? I don't like the ambiguity! But it was a good read!"
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