A review by singalana
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I have previously read du Maurier’s Rebecca, and I must say, straight after reading My Cousin Rachel, I prefer this one over Rebecca. 

Philip discovers that his cousin and surrogate father, Ambrose, has married in Florence. He begins to receive worrying letters from Ambrose, and soon he finds out that his cousin has fallen ill and died. Philip inherits his cousin's estate, but doesn’t have the full legal ownership of his estate while being considered too young. Philip suspects Ambrose’s wife, Rachel, of wrongdoing. But when Rachel turns up at Philip’s door, he might have to reconsider his views.

The book's first half was relatively slow, building up the milieu and the characters. In a way, the story is set up to allow the reader to fall at ease with the characters. After that, things picked up with plenty of foreshadowing and cause for suspicion.

This is a subtle, gothic novel, and enough was left for the reader to interpret. I imagine Du Maurier’s novels will be even better with a reread. 
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