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wandererzarina's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gamergirl77's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
I think I was ruined by the hype for this book. It was good, but not as absolutely fantastic as I was led to expect. I can appreciate the great leaps in the mystery genre and the tropes Wilkie Collins established here, but after being practically teethed on Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers it just didn't impact me as much. Also, although there were some great twists I kept expecting the worst from everyone...
I honestly expected one of the cast to be an unreliable narrator and am a little sad that the author didn't choose to give the thief a piece of the narrative. I guess that was for other mystery writers to explore as they followed in Wilkie Collins' footsteps!
I honestly expected one of the cast to be an unreliable narrator and am a little sad that the author didn't choose to give the thief a piece of the narrative. I guess that was for other mystery writers to explore as they followed in Wilkie Collins' footsteps!
sirrydactyl's review against another edition
4.0
I thought the book was well written, and I enjoyed the plot, but I feel like Wilkie Collins went for the more obvious choice. I was expecting something a little more creative; something that would catch me off guard, as far as "who dunnit." Let's say for instance that Old Betteredge was behind the stealing of the Moonstone because his good friend Robinson Crusoe told him to, in order to protect the family he served from the curse. THAT would have been something that caught me off guard. Betteredge was the first narrator we hear, so it places in us a kind of trust, but I think having an unreliable narrator would have put this book at five stars for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, and I am pleased to have finally finished it; I just found the ending a bit lacking.
burrowsi1's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this book an extra half star if I could. It's a long listen, but a classic for a reason. I'm still unsure what made me download this from Audible, but I'm glad I did. It's an epistolary novel (a term I learned after reading this book), which means that it's a series of letters written by the characters. In this novel, the characters writing the narratives are doing so to try to figure out the mysterious disappearance of the Moonstone, a gigantic Indian diamond stolen by a British military captain. The narrators are terrific; each takes on a distinctly different voice, and Collins does a brilliant job of writing each first-person account as not only an entry in the mystery, but also a detailed character exploration. The reader, Peter Jeffrey, is wonderful. He develops distinct, perfectly suited voices for each of the writers. And he does something I really appreciate: he doesn't do a "woman" voice for our only female writer, Clack (Drusilla Clack, a kooky religious spinster), he just gives a pompous and elitist voice, which is her to a "t".
I'd recommend this book, though not for listening on traffic-heavy, rainy afternoons. It's a 19th Century character mystery, so it's not terribly fast-paced. There were times I felt my eyelids drooping a little bit. That's not good when you're driving.
I'd recommend this book, though not for listening on traffic-heavy, rainy afternoons. It's a 19th Century character mystery, so it's not terribly fast-paced. There were times I felt my eyelids drooping a little bit. That's not good when you're driving.
gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition
2.0
I only made it 1/3 of the way through this book. I liked the detective, but the rest of the characters were pretty meh. Also, there was a level of emotionality and a lack of rationality that was just too much for me.
elliemh's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
daja57's review against another edition
5.0
Not the first time I have read this Victorian classic, often hailed as the first detective novel, but re-reading it means that I am reading having already known whodunnit and how; this in turn means that I can spot the hints dropped in the plot which make the solution of the mystery possible.
The Moonstone, a cursed diamond looted from India, is presented to Rachel Verinder on her birthday, but that same night it vanishes. The crime baffles the local police and a famous detective is called in to investigate. Add to this two young men seeking to marry Rachel and a maidservant with a criminal past who is hopelessly in love with a gentleman, and the strange behaviour of Rachel herself, and we develop an interesting mystery.
Sergeant Cuff, the detective, was probably based on the real-life Inspector Whicher, an early detective employed by the London Metropolitan Police, whose investigation into a murder at Road Hill House for which Constance Kent was subsequently found guilty also involved a nightdress. Sergeant Cuff's retirement to a cottage where he grows roses preceded the retirement of Hercule Poirot (who grows Vegetable Marrows) in Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a brilliant novel which also shares a narrative device with The Moonstone. The relationship between the clever, but sometimes enigmatic, detective and the slow-witted butler who narrates much of The Moonstone is clearly the model for Sherlock Holmes and his narrator Watson, and for Poirot and Captain Hastings. The character of Gooseberry, the nimble-witted street urchin, in The Moonstone is clearly a model for the Baker Street Irregulars in the Sherlock Holmes books. And of course the local policeman is incompetent! Thus, this book pioneers many of the tropes of detective fiction.
It is told from multiple perspectives. One of the narrators is unreliable; I can't think of any novel previous to the Moonstone which uses this device. The first section is narrated by the steward, Mr Betteredge. He is a fussy old man with an amusing (and rather unPC) view on life; this narrative allows Collins to add humour, both laughing with Mr B and laughing at him: "On hearing those dreadful words, my daughter Penelope said she didn't know what prevented her heart from flying straight out of her. I thought privately that it might have been her stays." (Ch 3) The second section is narrated by Miss Clack, a poor relation of the family, whose genteel poverty have led her to become a proselytising Christian, forever handing out unwanted tracts and advice; Collins skilfully pokes fun at her naivete. Other narrators include a principal protagonist, a sinister-looking medical assistant, and a solicitor.
Collins employs subtle humour in his characterisations of the steward, Miss Clack and Mrs Merridew; these comic characters are far more skilfully drawn than the crude but compelling caricatures of Dickens.
The pacing is a little unusual. Most of the action occurs in the first half of the book and we discover the identity of the person who took the Moonstone from Rachel's bedroom with a full third of the book still to go; the last part is concerned principally with the mechanics of the plot and where the Moonstone is now. To my eyes, trained by modern mysteries, this gives the feeling that the narrative isn't quite balanced.
And of course Victorian prose can be a little long-winded at times.
But it is a classic and the characterisations and the real moments of humour, not to mention a baffling mystery, make it well worth a read.
The Moonstone, a cursed diamond looted from India, is presented to Rachel Verinder on her birthday, but that same night it vanishes. The crime baffles the local police and a famous detective is called in to investigate. Add to this two young men seeking to marry Rachel and a maidservant with a criminal past who is hopelessly in love with a gentleman, and the strange behaviour of Rachel herself, and we develop an interesting mystery.
Sergeant Cuff, the detective, was probably based on the real-life Inspector Whicher, an early detective employed by the London Metropolitan Police, whose investigation into a murder at Road Hill House for which Constance Kent was subsequently found guilty also involved a nightdress. Sergeant Cuff's retirement to a cottage where he grows roses preceded the retirement of Hercule Poirot (who grows Vegetable Marrows) in Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a brilliant novel which also shares a narrative device with The Moonstone. The relationship between the clever, but sometimes enigmatic, detective and the slow-witted butler who narrates much of The Moonstone is clearly the model for Sherlock Holmes and his narrator Watson, and for Poirot and Captain Hastings. The character of Gooseberry, the nimble-witted street urchin, in The Moonstone is clearly a model for the Baker Street Irregulars in the Sherlock Holmes books. And of course the local policeman is incompetent! Thus, this book pioneers many of the tropes of detective fiction.
It is told from multiple perspectives. One of the narrators is unreliable; I can't think of any novel previous to the Moonstone which uses this device. The first section is narrated by the steward, Mr Betteredge. He is a fussy old man with an amusing (and rather unPC) view on life; this narrative allows Collins to add humour, both laughing with Mr B and laughing at him: "On hearing those dreadful words, my daughter Penelope said she didn't know what prevented her heart from flying straight out of her. I thought privately that it might have been her stays." (Ch 3) The second section is narrated by Miss Clack, a poor relation of the family, whose genteel poverty have led her to become a proselytising Christian, forever handing out unwanted tracts and advice; Collins skilfully pokes fun at her naivete. Other narrators include a principal protagonist, a sinister-looking medical assistant, and a solicitor.
Collins employs subtle humour in his characterisations of the steward, Miss Clack and Mrs Merridew; these comic characters are far more skilfully drawn than the crude but compelling caricatures of Dickens.
The pacing is a little unusual. Most of the action occurs in the first half of the book and we discover the identity of the person who took the Moonstone from Rachel's bedroom with a full third of the book still to go; the last part is concerned principally with the mechanics of the plot and where the Moonstone is now. To my eyes, trained by modern mysteries, this gives the feeling that the narrative isn't quite balanced.
And of course Victorian prose can be a little long-winded at times.
But it is a classic and the characterisations and the real moments of humour, not to mention a baffling mystery, make it well worth a read.
mollyl810's review against another edition
4.0
Another one of Collins’ books that made me gasp and laugh out loud multiple times!
Although the serial structure of the novel wasn’t that new to me (after The Woman in White last month) it was still enjoyable and a refreshing change to most of the novels (that I have read) written around the same time.
Loses a star because of Miss Clack’s narrative
Although the serial structure of the novel wasn’t that new to me (after The Woman in White last month) it was still enjoyable and a refreshing change to most of the novels (that I have read) written around the same time.
Loses a star because of Miss Clack’s narrative