Why, why, why did I wait so long to read this book??? My Cousin Rachel blew me out of the water in its' greatness and left me wondering why I hadn't read it sooner! It is the story of Phillip Ashley and how his entire world changes when Rachel comes into his life. Rachel is the widow of his beloved Uncle Ambrose who is recently deceased. Everything Phillip has ever known changes when his cousin Rachel arrives.....and his life will never be the same.
This is basically going to be a gush fest so be prepared. I adored this book. Just adored it! The atmosphere and underlying tension in this book was just amazing. It had me well and truly hooked as I was reading. My Cousin Rachel has this creepy feeling to it where you know something bad is going to happen and all you can do is wait for it. This feeling made the atmosphere of the book so creepy and intense. I just couldn't put the book down! (And I'll admit to peeking at the ending when I was almost finished because I couldn't take it any longer. I had to know. And it still didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel.) Rachel and Phillip are on this destructive path together that neither of them realizes, and all the reader can do is wait for it to happen. Even then knowing that there couldn't possibly be a happy ending to the story, I was blown away by the ending. It left me thinking, and I had to go back and reread the first chapter again. And then the ending again. And I was still left wanting to discuss this one with someone. It was just that good!
I don't think I need to even summarize my feelings on this one. I LOVED it, plain and simple! I would reread it again without a second thought and want a copy of it for my own shelves. Just thinking about it now makes me want to read it again so what can I do but recommend it to all of you! Highly recommended!!!
Bottom Line: An amazing read.....nothing more to say other than that!
Disclosure: I checked this one out from my local library but you can bet I will be purchasing my own copy!
This book has me itching for a reread of Rebecca by du Maurier! I will definitely be doing that this year but I thought it would be fun to leave you a link to my original thoughts on Rebecca here.
Somebody else read this recently and loved it too. I've only read Frenchman's Creek by her which I really enjoyed. I'm going to read this one for sure an I definitely want to fit Rebecca in my reading schedule this year n
ReplyDeleteSam, this sounds excellent. Your enthusiasm is wonderful--I'll keep My Cousin Rachel in mind!
ReplyDeleteI am on board for the love fest! I just finished Cottage By the Sea which made me want to buy all of her books and hide away to read them all!!! I'm so excited that you enjoyed it so much because I just know that I will too!!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one too. She's so good at subtle creepiness. I remember rereading a bit when I finished too. My book club is doing Rebecca next month. I've read it before, but it's been like twenty years or something. I'm looking forward to reading it again.
ReplyDeleteYour excitement is contagious. You read the end before completing, went back to the first chapt and the end again, wow, that is major props.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Rebecca but it is a must this year.
Holy cow!!! After reading your gushfest (love it), I'm wondering why I haven't heard of this one before you mentioned it the other day on your Library Loot. Loved Rebecca so I'll definitely have to look for this one!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't read any DuMaurier, but have vowed to read Rebecca this year. I'll keep this one in mind too!
ReplyDeleteGlad you loved this one. I want to read this author too. I've heard only good things.
ReplyDeleteI liked this one a lot too! I think I liked it the best of any Du Maurier book apart from Rebecca that I've read so far. It has that same creepy uncanny feeling about it that Rebecca had -- like if you were paying slightly better attention you'd understand everything and avert the tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book, too. I read Rebecca and this one both from the library, so last year I bought Rebecca and this year I plan to buy my own copy of My Cousin Rachel. Instead of doing that with my gift cards I bought The House on the Strand for a new read by her. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked this one!! Out of the 4 du Maurier books I've read, this is by far my favorite. I liked it even better than Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteI read Rebecca 15 years ago, I only have the vaguest memory of it. This makes me want to read both of them now! Terrific review.
ReplyDeleteDarlene- You MUST read this one at some point...you simply must! Between this book and Rebecca I have become an instant fan of this author. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteSuko- Definitely do that! And if you haven't read Rebecca I would recommend that one as well.
Staci- I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it when you get the chance to read it. (And I added Cottage By the Sea to my TBR list thanks to you :P )
Shelley- I'm looking forward to rereading Rebecca at some point as well. It has been about 3 or 4 years since I first read it so it is about time :)
Marce- I hope you do get the chance to read Rebecca at some point this year.
Trish- I've been meaning to read more by her since finishing Rebecca, and now I'm glad that I finally did. I can't wait to see what else she has written!
Nomadreader- Rebecca is a REALLY good read and so is this one. I highly, highly recommend this author!
Naida- You must give her a try at some point!!! I think that you would love her as well!
Jenny- You nailed it on the head. There were times while reading this book where I just wanted to set it down...I knew that something terrible was going to happen. And I'll admit that the creepiness factor really snuck up on me!
Kailana- I can't wait to hear your thoughts on The House on the Strand. I'm adding all of her other books to my TBR list after finishing this one!
Stephanie- I'm having a hard time figuring out which book I enjoyed more. It has been awhile since I read Rebecca...maybe I should go back and reread it and then I could figure out which one I like more :)
Lisa- You most definitely should read them both! Maybe we can reread Rebecca together at some point!