Preview My Cousin Rachel- Daphne du Maurier
Summary: Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, a man who will love his grand home as much as he does himself. But the cosy world the two construct is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries - and there he dies suddenly. Jealous of his marriage, racked by suspicion at the hints in Ambrose's letters, and grief-stricken by his death, Philip prepares to meet his cousin's widow with hatred in his heart. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, sophisticated, mysterious Rachel like a moth to the flame. And yet... might she have had a hand in Ambrose's death? (From Goodreads)
Movie Trailers:
1952
2017
Hello Readers,
Having Addie nor myself read My Cousin Rachel yet, we are racking our brains with the “ins and outs” of this story that was created over sixty years ago. With our abundance of control issues, we searched the web. Above is the summary, which I must admit reminded me of the love child of Downton Abbey and Wuthering Heights if I ever knew one. Additionally, there are two trailers, one from the movie dating back to 1952 and the other dating 2017. Side note: the first movie only came out a year after the publishing of Daphne du Maurier’s novel, so I suppose that says something about the quality and/or attention grabbing aspects... if you had any doubts. On the other hand, July 14, 2017, people! My Cousin Rachel will be re-adapted into film with the wonderful Sam Claflin. He is particularly a favorite of BRTD (please note: the Me Before You movie’s excellence).
Time to refocus, if anyone is confused by the above summary, I can put it into simpler terms. Cousin Ambrose goes to Florence to find a love interest and cure his inevitable loneliness. Cousin Philip, the younger of the two and who is cared for by Ambrose, becomes aware of Ambrose’s death after his quickie wedding to...you guessed it...Rachel. Pissed and grief-stricken, Phil attempts to get things straight. He arranges to meet with his cousin’s widow (Rachel) to discover the truth about his untimely death, but there seems to be a majority of the book having Philip getting entranced by Rachel’s womanly ways.
In the meantime, Addie and I will be finishing up After You in this upcoming week, so expect our reviews soon! We would also love to hear your feedback over the book with #BRTDAfterYou!
Better Read Than Dead,
Geneva