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Nov 09, 2017Brontina66 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I have always appreciated Dame Daphne du Murier, whose only novel I don't like so far is "Jamaica Inn." I thought that "Rebecca" was my favorite, but now I am reconsidering. "My cousin Rachel" is a magnificent suspense story, beside being - at least in my opinion - a decidedly feminist novel. Left by both her dead husbands without any provisions and in one case with debts to pay, Rachel is a survivor in a male-dominated world. Philip Ashley, who has inherited everything while the legitimate widow has been left penniless, tries to convince Rachel to marry him first by donating her the property (which is, in fact, a way of paying her for future services) and then, when she refuses the imposition of marriage, by threatening her physically. The story is narrated in first person by a completely infatuated Philip and is interspersed with references to poison and and 'extravagance' (Rachel's desire to spend money mainly on other people). Honestly, I cannot blame Rachel for acting as she does: as I said, she needs to survive and Victorian England is not kind to women. She never asks for anything, Philips donates her the estate as his own initiative on the assumption that it will entitle him to Rachel herself. He has miscalculated and - being fundamentally an immature and selfish person - he takes his revenge on her. Great read! Until the end, we are left wondering who is poisoning whom.