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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Glad to have finally read this. I broke it down into 50 page chunks in order to make it more manageable. I loved Betteredge and his obsession with [b:Robinson Crusoe|2932|Robinson Crusoe|Daniel Defoe|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403180114s/2932.jpg|604666]! It was very readable and I enjoyed thinking about the serialization when it first came out and how readers would have responded.
Having enjoyed The Woman in White so much, it was a no-brainer for me to pick up Wilkie Collins’ other, more famous work. Although I think I slightly prefer The Woman in White, The Moonstone is another solid, epistolary mystery from one of the genre’s first pioneers.
Things I liked:
-The different POV's and the way I got to know the characters from these different POV's greatly enriched my read.
-It was humorous when I was not expecting humor. A nice surprise.
-It still stands the test of time, not feeling particularly dated except for the excessive wordiness. In this case the wordiness added instead of detracting.
Things I didn't like:
-While I DID say that it was wordy in a good way this was also way too long for a mystery. I like my mysteries to be more to the point. From the popularity of Christie and Doyle I would guess that I'm not alone.
-The whole opium twist? What? Not buying it- sorry that I'm in the doubting camp but this kind of thing was possibly more acceptable/believable at the time it was written. This was the one thing that I felt dated this novel.
-For me mysteries are usually hard to put down (another reason I like brevity) and that was not the case with this one. Having a hard time picking it back up again?... yes. Glancing through the reviews I see a lot of people calling this a page turner. That was not my experience.
-The different POV's and the way I got to know the characters from these different POV's greatly enriched my read.
-It was humorous when I was not expecting humor. A nice surprise.
-It still stands the test of time, not feeling particularly dated except for the excessive wordiness. In this case the wordiness added instead of detracting.
Things I didn't like:
-While I DID say that it was wordy in a good way this was also way too long for a mystery. I like my mysteries to be more to the point. From the popularity of Christie and Doyle I would guess that I'm not alone.
-The whole opium twist? What? Not buying it- sorry that I'm in the doubting camp but this kind of thing was possibly more acceptable/believable at the time it was written. This was the one thing that I felt dated this novel.
-For me mysteries are usually hard to put down (another reason I like brevity) and that was not the case with this one. Having a hard time picking it back up again?... yes. Glancing through the reviews I see a lot of people calling this a page turner. That was not my experience.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Read for my degree.
Surprisingly better than I expected.
Also Betterdege’s obsession with a fictional book that he refers to it always and dismisses anyone who doesn’t like it? Relatable.
She was unlike most girls of her age, in this--that she had ideas of her own.
We had our breakfasts--whatever happens in a house, robbery or murder, it doesn't matter, you must have your breakfast.
Surprisingly better than I expected.
Also Betterdege’s obsession with a fictional book that he refers to it always and dismisses anyone who doesn’t like it? Relatable.
She was unlike most girls of her age, in this--that she had ideas of her own.
We had our breakfasts--whatever happens in a house, robbery or murder, it doesn't matter, you must have your breakfast.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very good for a book I read at school