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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book might go down in history as one of my most surprising favourites. I found it nearly impossible to put down and kept imagining some quirky Wes Anderson film adaption in my head. If you like mysteries and classics (or are interested in getting into classics) this book is the one to read!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Save yourself time and aggravation & read the wikipedia summary instead.
Great mystery, must be able to overlook some of the characters' intensely misogynist and colonialist attitudes.
With all the YA and KidLit I've been reading lately it's a pleasant change to read a book aimed at a significantly older audience. The characters, though sometimes caricatures, are well-drawn and entertaining, their distinct voices make this book. Though I often found his comments on the fair sex and his racism annoying I grew to love Gabriel Betteredge for his views of class. I loved Drusilla Clack and heir religious fundamentalism. I was surprised by Ezra Jennings' unexpected complexity and otherness. While I didn't like the resolution of the theft that much, I did enjoy the ending.
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins was published in 1868 and is considered the first detective novel and the beginning of the formula for so many detective stories that include an English country house robber, an inside job, red herrings, a celebrated, professional investigator, bungling local constabulary, false suspects, the least likely suspect, the reconstruction of the crime and a final twist in the plot.
My favorite parts of the book were the narrators. Mr. Betteredge was the head servant and the first narrator. He describes choosing his wife Selina in this way:
"See that she chewsI her food well and sets her foot down firmly on the ground when she walks, and you're all right. Selina Goby was all right in both these respects, which was one reason for marrying her. I had another reason, likewise, entirely of my own discovering. Selina, being a single woman, made me pay so much a week for her board and services. Selina, being my wife, couldn't charge for her board, and would have to give me her services for nothing. That was the point of view I looked at it from. Economy—with a dash of love. I put it to my mistress, as in duty bound, just as I had put it to myself. "I have been turning Selina Goby over in my mind," I said, "and I think, my lady, it will be cheaper to marry her than to keep her."
As expected it's a bit wordy, but very entertaining and readable. I was surprised how much I liked it.
My Real Readers book group had a fun discussion about it.
Recommended.
My favorite parts of the book were the narrators. Mr. Betteredge was the head servant and the first narrator. He describes choosing his wife Selina in this way:
"See that she chewsI her food well and sets her foot down firmly on the ground when she walks, and you're all right. Selina Goby was all right in both these respects, which was one reason for marrying her. I had another reason, likewise, entirely of my own discovering. Selina, being a single woman, made me pay so much a week for her board and services. Selina, being my wife, couldn't charge for her board, and would have to give me her services for nothing. That was the point of view I looked at it from. Economy—with a dash of love. I put it to my mistress, as in duty bound, just as I had put it to myself. "I have been turning Selina Goby over in my mind," I said, "and I think, my lady, it will be cheaper to marry her than to keep her."
As expected it's a bit wordy, but very entertaining and readable. I was surprised how much I liked it.
My Real Readers book group had a fun discussion about it.
Recommended.
I'm giving this classic mystery 5 stars because of the Recorded Books version I listened to on my commute. It was read by a cast, and each character was beautifully unique, and often unintentionally funny (such as the Butler).
I found it great fun to listen to & from work, and am a bit sad that the fun has come to an end.
I found it great fun to listen to & from work, and am a bit sad that the fun has come to an end.
A little bit slow towards the beginning, but gripping and haunting at the end. Of course there is much to digest from a feminist, globalized, and detective point of view; so it is no wonder it was, and has remained, so popular.