My Cousin Rachel

By: Daphne du Maurier

Narrated by: Jonathan Pryce

Daphne du Maurier's classic novel of lust, suspicion, and obsession that inspired major motion picture starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin.

Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, and Philip grows to love Ambrose's grand estate as much as he does. But the cozy world the two construct is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries a mysterious distant cousin named Rachel—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. But when she arrives at the estate, Rachel seems to be a different woman from the one described in Ambrose's letters. Beautiful, sophisticated, and magnetic, Philip cannot help but feel drawn to Rachel.

And yet, questions still linger: might she have had a hand in Ambrose's death? And how, exactly, did Ambrose die? As Philip pursues the answers to these questions, he realizes that his own fate could hang in the balance.

The best audible book I've listened to so far

Of the 10 or so audible books I've listened to, this is by far the best. There is so much more to Daphne DuMaurier's work than Rebecca, and Jonathan Pryce does justice to it. His voices are perfection.

So enjoyable! Story and narration.

I had listened to the audiobook Rebecca months ago and loved it. I hoped My Cousin Rachel would be as entertaining and it certainly was.

I really enjoyed this narrator: he has a wonderful voice that is so pleasant to listen to and also fits the story very well. I thought he did an excellent job of voicing the women which is always a challenge. Ooh and I loved to hate his slimy, backstabbing rendition of Renaldi.

Some people don’t love older books because of the slower pace. But just before this, I listened to a contemporary psychological thriller, The Woman at the Window, and found it SO slow paced but without the excellent writing and characterization of a classic like this. My Cousin Rachel has stood the test of time for a reason: entertaining and well written!

My third time "reading" thus classic! Never dulls.

A very interesting "read", I have enjoyed this book! If you like old classics with a bit of a romantic quality, you will too.

Absolutely captivating

This book is full of twists, turns, and romance. I really enjoyed it. It's my favorite so far.

He's just all over the place...

Any additional comments?

I'm having a hard time understanding the appeal of a main character who seems so insufficient of reasoning and hell-bound on making life-altering decisions based on sheer rebellion. Against anyone. Just because. It felt odd to me. Otherwise, it was a story well told, I believe. That character made no sense to anyone in the story (not even himself?) and was just a little too far-fetched for me to want to route for him.