Reviews

I decided to read 'My Cousin Rachel' for my Popsugar reading challenge: A book becoming a film in 2017. Having recently read, and mostly enjoyed, 'Rebecca' I was interested to see how the two title characters differed. To my mind, they seemed similar; conniving and manipulative. I worried that both books would be the same content and general feel, just with a different cover.

In fact, Rachel was nothing like Rebecca. If she was manipulative and conniving, it was in an unassuming manner, so unlike the bolshie and energetic Rebecca. Rachel slipped beneath Phillips skin before he realised, and mine too. It didn't take long in her presence to forgive the accusations made against her. Rachel was not the clear-cut 'bad guy' that Rebecca was. Rebecca made others place her on a pedestal, but Rachel made others feel that they should be on the pedestal.

Not knowing whether Rachel tried to connive and manipulate Phillip is both wonderful and terribly, terrible torturous.

I fell into Phillip's story from the very first page and my interest didn't wane once throughout. This surprised me, because the novel is rather simplistic and repetitive in regard to plot. Yet, this monotony was in itself a 'red-herring'. I fell into the routine much like Phillip and Rachel and was shocked when one word, one note, one incident would occur and the routine was disrupted. Then all the accusations would come flooding back and I was confuse again. Who could I trust?

Phillip was a trifle young and naïve, but wasn't that the best part of the novel? I cared for this gentle soul who was so unused to the ways of women. I wanted desperately to protect Phillip and ensure that he emerged unscathed. I shouted at Phillip - internally, of course - constantly, like a harried mother with a misbehaving child

Spoiler

Marry Louise! Send Rachel away! Stop writing that will! Put that jewellery back!

If Phillip hadn't been a malleable and vulnerable character, I wouldn't have fallen into the role of protector and thus have been as involved in the outcome. As it was, I was in a constant state of worry that Phillip was about to be 'offed'.

Though 'Rebecca' is the novel most associated with Daphne du Maurier, I much preferred 'My Cousin Rachel'. Full of tension. Full of questions. Gripping, tense. So wonderfully crafted and yet so simplistic. Loved it.

kcsu's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was not even a little bit what I thought it was going to be. An incidental find at the library, it was very entertaining nonetheless. With no real resolution at the end, I’m left to think about what might have been. Right now, my thoughts cause me not to trust Rachel. She seems exceptionally crafted in manipulation.

What I also appreciated about this style of writing is that, considering the plot of the story, it was written tastefully, without the vulgarity that seems to be more prevalent in secular writing today. If you’re interested in “who done it” type stories, you may like this one, too.

tinysaturn's review against another edition

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3.0

Nienawidziłam Filipa, a jednocześnie kibicowałam mu przez całą powieść.

squidfaw's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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