My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

Daphne Du Maurier presents us with a story that is suspenseful, gloomy and creepy.  It is also a story of romance and probably a woman’s book.  Is Rachel vixen or victim?  Is she femme fatale or a plain Jane who is in the wrong place at the wrong time?

We have two protagonists in this story and two different settings.  Du Maurier contrasts Cornish, English country life with cosmopolitan, sunny Florence.  Phillip belongs to the former, Rachel to the latter.  Rachel is beguiling and bewitching, mistress of flowers and herbs, expertly brewing her tisanas for the enjoyment and health of all.  Philip is largely beguiled and bewitched, tending to his farm and tenants.  Then there’s Rainaldi hovering like a Dr. Faust in the background.  

Up to the very last line, Du Maurier creates an air of sadness and mystery.  Read this book with a cup of hot herbal tea close by.