Years ago I read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and it is one that I consider to be on the "Must Read" list. Since that time, I have always wanted to read more of her work to see if the opinion held, or whether she, like so many others, was something of a "one hit wonder".
My Cousin Rachel has a very similar feel to Rebecca. Once again we are taken to the west coast of England, a huge manor house on the coast, and a somewhat tangled and mysterious love story.
Philip is an orphan, raise by his cousin Ambrose and eventually named as Ambrose's heir. Ambrose leaves the running of his estate in Philip's capable hands, while Ambrose himself goes off to Italy to winter there. While there, he meets his distant relation - his cousin, Rachel. Eventually Rachel and Ambrose fall in love and marry - much to the shock of everyone involved. The story involves the lives of our three main characters: Philip, Ambrose, and Rachel... along with a cast of sometimes delightful and sometimes dastardly supporting characters.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I found myself involved with the characters very early on, and I found the book to be a very quick read, difficult to put down. There were many plot twists - some that I saw coming and some that I definitely didn't. While the theme and tone is similar to Rebecca, this story has it's own uniqueness. I would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries and love stories. It was well worth reading. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment