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bookshelves: to-read
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Hester Prine
took the never-ending book quiz.
| questions answered: | 77 |
| correct: | 56 (72.7%) |
| skipped: | 3 |
| best streak: | 9 |
| questions added: | 0 |
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I think gold digging is the world's second oldest profession, My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier just proves my point. Set back in the olden days, this is the story of Philip Ashley. He was orphaned as an infant and his cousin Ambrose raised him to be like him. A man's man, a confirmed bachelor. Neither Ambrose nor Philip feel the need for women in their house or running their estate. Ambrose feels this so much his house is run by men. Philip narrates this story of love jealously and revenge.
Ambrose in failing health leaves his beloved land and estate in the winter to travel to warmer climates. This year he chose Italy, and he meets a long lost relation of theirs, cousin Rachel. In a series of letters written to Philip, Ambrose describes how is taken with the witty intelligent Rachel. He says that she is not like other women and isn't bothersome at all, he quickly marries her much to Philip's chagrin. Philip has already decided to hate this woman, not because she will become the rightful heir in his will if anything should ever happen to him, but because she has taken away his beloved cousin Ambrose.
Later very troubling letters arrive to him from Ambrose saying that he has mysteriously fallen ill and that Rachel watches him constantly and urging Philip to arrive to Florence immediately. When Philip finally arrives to the villa where Rachel and Ambrose live, it is too late. Ambrose is dead, right then and there Philip vows revenge on the evil harpy that is his cousin Rachel. Shortly after returning home he gets word from his godfather that Rachel has arrived for a visit and would like to meet with him. He agrees only to destroy her, but when she arrives she is not the evil wench he expected. Instead she is a beautiful women of dignity and manners. The longer she stays the deeper in love he falls with her.
So worried that she will leave him to go back to Florence he devises a plan and three weeks before his twenty fifth birthday when he officially inherits it all he finds Ambrose's unsigned will and decides to give everything, the money the land and the family jewels to her. So grateful is she with receiving the jewelry she makes love to him. The next day when she learns she is now the owner of it all she becomes cold to Philip, in his anger over a misunderstanding about her agreeing to marry him Philip tries to strangle her. Shortly after this he becomes mysterious ill, just the way Ambrose did.
So is Rachel a cold blooded and calculating murderer? Or is it all just a coincidence that Philip becomes gravely ill and she nurses him back to health? And does her various knowledge of plants and all the harm and good they can do point to her guilt? While its left up the reader to decide, I say yes, she is a killer and that money is the only way to her heart. ]]>
Here are some books I have lined up for 2010
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by Christopher Moore
This book is terrific, its my kind of Christmas story because it includes zombie mayhem! Enjoy. ]]>
bookshelves: currently-reading
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