Wednesday, May 05, 2010

A-Z Wednesday: "M"

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicki at Reading At The Beach. To join in, just visit her blog for the guidelines and leave your link in a comment.

This week's letter is "M." So I went to my shelves, and this is what I pulled out.


My Cousin Rachel
Written by Daphne DuMaurier
First published 1951

Description from Good Reads:
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 Ambrose loves it himself. 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 - and there he dies suddenly. In almost no time at all, the new widow - Philip's cousin Rachel - turns up in England. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, sophisticated, mysterious woman like a moth to the flame. And yet ... might she have had a hand in Ambrose's death?
The cover of a recent paperback edition:


A photo of the author as a very young woman:


And a still from the 1952 film based on the book:


I first read this one at about age fourteen – found a copy stored in my grandparents’ garage and promptly confiscated it as my own. I had recently seen the old movie on TV, starring Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton. And as I had an enormous crush on the gorgeous Welshman at the time, the book instantly became one of my favorites. And while my passion for Richard has modified somewhat over the years, I still think the book is a great read. (Good movie, too.)

11 comments:

  1. Hmmm... a murder, love story.
    Sounds intriguing.

    My `M` is up

    http://newhorizonreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/mind-of-christ-by-tw-hunt.html

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  2. I read this one many years ago, and lately, I've been seeing du Maurier books here and there and feeling compelled to read them again!

    Here's mine:

    http://laurel-rain-outonalimb.blogspot.com/2010/05/z-wednesday.html

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  3. I've loved DuMaurier ever since I discovered the copies my mom had when I was a teenager. Good choice.

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  4. I have not read this one. Did see the movie though. Love the recent cover.

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  5. Richard Burton is the man! I haven't seen the movie or read the book though.... now I would like to.

    http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2010/05/to-z-starts-with-m.html

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  6. Haven't read the book or seen the movie, would like to do both.

    Thanks for playing!

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  7. I am a huge DuMaurier fan and loved this book almost as much as I loved Rebecca. I've never seen the movie though, I'll have to check it out!

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  8. I love Olivia de Havilland but I never saw the movie nor have I read the book but I might one day soon now!

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  9. Might be an oldie but it's new to me. Sounds interesting.

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  10. One of these days I'm going to get around to her books, but I may look into the movie.

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  11. Sounds good! I might have to add this one to my TBR list.

    Thanks for visiting Proud Book Nerd! :-)

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