Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Daphne du Maurier intentionally leaves the central mystery of the novel unresolved. What was her purpose in denying the reader a clear answer as to whether Rachel was innocent or guilty?

2. How did your experience of reading My Cousin Rachel compare to reading du Maurier’s more famous work, Rebecca (1938)? What similarities did you notice in the atmosphere, the setting, or the psychological dynamics between the characters?

3. How did being confined to Philip’s point of view affect your feelings about the characters as the plot unfolded?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Philip’s judgment is constantly shifting based on his feelings for Rachel. Think about a time when your own strong emotions might have colored your perception of a person or a situation. How did this issue play out?

2. As Philip seems fated to repeat Ambrose’s behavior patterns and choices, the novel explores the idea of inheriting a psychological legacy along with a physical one. In your own life, have you ever noticed a behavioral trait or emotional pattern that has been passed down through your family?

3. Rachel is an outsider who must navigate the closed-off, traditional world of Philip and Ambrose’s Cornish estate. Think about a time when you were a newcomer in a group or workplace. What aspects of Rachel’s experience resonate with you, and why?

4. Before ever meeting Rachel, Philip builds a complete picture of her based on Ambrose’s fragmented, emotional letters. Have you ever formed a strong impression of someone through texts, emails, or stories before meeting them in person? How did that initial image compare to the reality?

5. The gift of the pearl collar represents a moment of grave miscommunication, as Philip’s intended meaning is completely different from Rachel’s interpretation. Can you recall a time when a gesture that you made (or received) was deeply misunderstood?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The story is set in a post-war era that emphasized patriarchal values and domestic roles for women. Rachel, who is financially independent, foreign, and sexually autonomous, falls under the other characters’ suspicions. How might a character like Rachel be perceived if the novel were set in modern times?

2. The novel takes place in two distinct settings: rural Cornwall and cosmopolitan, urban Florence. How does this contrast between rural and urban spaces reflect other tensions in the novel? Are these tensions still relevant in the modern world?

3. Philip’s father was soldier. His fate is uncertain, but Philip notes that he was killed in France, likely during World War I. How does the novel hint at the ways in which the trauma of war shapes the society that the characters inhabit? Do such traumas extend into the modern day?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The motif of physical likeness between Philip and Ambrose is central to the story. How does this doubling contribute to The Strain of Inheriting a Family Legacy and shape Rachel’s interactions with Philip?

2. What symbolic role does the tisana (Rachel’s herbal remedies) play throughout the narrative? How does this element represent her fundamental ambiguity?

3. What does the Cornish estate represent when compared to the world of Florence and the Villa Sangalletti?

4. When you think of other Gothic novels, like Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), how does My Cousin Rachel either follow or subvert the genre’s conventions?

5. Philip’s narration is famously unreliable. Beyond his emotional swings, what specific moments or omissions made you question his version of events? Did you ever feel you could see a different truth lurking behind his words?

6. Letters and written documents are crucial to the plot, from Ambrose’s initial accusations to the unsigned will. How do these textual artifacts function to destabilize the truth rather than confirm it?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to write a short Epilogue set one year after Rachel’s death, what would Philip’s life be like? Would he be tormented by doubt, or would he have settled on a definitive version of the truth?

2. Imagine that you are casting a new film adaptation of My Cousin Rachel. Which actors would you choose to play Philip and Rachel? Explain your reasoning.

3. What advice would you give to Philip if you could speak to him at the moment he decides to sign his entire inheritance over to Rachel? What might you say to help him see the situation from a different perspective?