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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unlike other books featured on 'Wishbone', this episode did not stick with me at all other than some detective snooping and drawing room gasps. As a result, the plot of 'The Moonstone' was entirely fresh and I enjoyed it a lot. From other reviews I expected a great deal more repetition and a great deal more of the meanderings and mutual compliments that made 'The Woman in White' a bit of a chore.
I found nothing of the sort here. 'The Moonstone' was a Victorian novel, and long, but Collins had learned something about how to move a compilation narrative along in the 12 years between those two books. I enjoyed the commentary between the various "authors", especially the asides of the pamphlet evangelical cousin Miss Clack and the credulous to a fault Betteredge and his copy of 'Robinson Crusoe'. From a sociological perspective I appreciated the sympathetic treatment of the Indians who had the diamond stolen from them in the first place. Women get a hard deal, especially the very intriguing Rosanna Spearman, but you can't get everything. Collins was a product of his era blah-de-blah so women are fundamentally flawed and foolish creatures in his eyes.
A great deal is said and much of it, if we wanted to be spoil-sports about it, says absolutely nothing about the mystery, but the relations of the characters and the world they live in strike me as absurd, grim and yet better-balanced (thus imminently more plausible) than the charming in other ways narratives of, say, Dickens and Trollope.
I'm no great shakes at guessing mysteries, Encyclopedia Brown often gets the best of me, but I enjoy guessing and wracking my deeply unsleuthy brain for the solution to the riddles of mystery plots. Collins drops a lot of information in 'The Moonstone' and reveals several facts of the case throughout the novel's many narratives without once jeopardizing the reveal. It fairly stumps one of the greatest detective minds in fiction. Fair by Victorian standards anyway. Seriously, you'll never guess.
I found nothing of the sort here. 'The Moonstone' was a Victorian novel, and long, but Collins had learned something about how to move a compilation narrative along in the 12 years between those two books. I enjoyed the commentary between the various "authors", especially the asides of the pamphlet evangelical cousin Miss Clack and the credulous to a fault Betteredge and his copy of 'Robinson Crusoe'. From a sociological perspective I appreciated the sympathetic treatment of the Indians who had the diamond stolen from them in the first place. Women get a hard deal, especially the very intriguing Rosanna Spearman, but you can't get everything. Collins was a product of his era blah-de-blah so women are fundamentally flawed and foolish creatures in his eyes.
A great deal is said and much of it, if we wanted to be spoil-sports about it, says absolutely nothing about the mystery, but the relations of the characters and the world they live in strike me as absurd, grim and yet better-balanced (thus imminently more plausible) than the charming in other ways narratives of, say, Dickens and Trollope.
I'm no great shakes at guessing mysteries, Encyclopedia Brown often gets the best of me, but I enjoy guessing and wracking my deeply unsleuthy brain for the solution to the riddles of mystery plots. Collins drops a lot of information in 'The Moonstone' and reveals several facts of the case throughout the novel's many narratives without once jeopardizing the reveal. It fairly stumps one of the greatest detective minds in fiction. Fair by Victorian standards anyway. Seriously, you'll never guess.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Reseña completa en: http://bookishmarta.art.blog/2020/09/18/la-piedra-lunar-de-wilkie-collins/
Reseña completa en: http://bookishmarta.art.blog/2020/09/18/la-piedra-lunar-de-wilkie-collins/
Loved this Dickens contemporary, not in a small part due to a clear parallel to Downton Abbey! Betteridge = Carson, if Carson loved Robinson Crusoe.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My attention dipped in and out but I got pretty transfixed by the end and at one point I actually gasped out loud so!
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this book- hard to put it down
I love the multiple-narrative, thriller gothic novel. This didn't disappoint!
(I was horrified by Miss Clack, btw. What an awful woman!!)
(I was horrified by Miss Clack, btw. What an awful woman!!)
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am not sure what rating to give this book, 3-4 ish. The reason why is ... Well this book was magnificent in so many ways, but at some points it was suited to my enjoyment and taste. That be said, most of the book captured me and the mystery MADE me read on. I had to know who dunnit! The start of the book was slow and the first 70 pages were making me want to pull out my hair... If I wasn't reading this for uni, at that point it would of been put back on the shelf!
But so,etching happened. The drama ensued, the moonstone went missing! This book has so many levels and is such a strong piece of writing representing many values and essentials of the Victorian period. It has made my love of Victorian fiction and who dunnit stories increase. I'm trying to keep this a short review, what with it being 5am. But this book surprised me, the writing is strong and the plot excellent. Yes there were bits like the beginning and other parts where I did phase out a bit, a bit from tiredness but another bit from boredom... But on the most part I wanted to keep reading, the characters were intriguing and at first I was overloaded with so many that I didn't know who was who. But the book leaves way for the development of those vital to the plot. The multiple view points adds to this and the overall story, enabling nothing to be left out and the complexity of the narratives to be included.
As to whether I guessed right or not...
I listed of a few people I had suspicious thoughts on a few dats ago to my boyfriend.... Although one of my theories I came up with was not correct in plot. The character at the center of the crime was there.
Note: the part in the the viewpoint of miss clack, was magnificent, I hated her so much but also pitied her at points. The characterisation was really good, and I like coming from an atheist viewpoint in the 21st century to compare the points in her character with my views.
All in all, I'm impressed and this book was able to change my mind. It's a slow start, so would recommend people to stick with it and to not to expect to be wowed from the word go. Would recommend to Victorian fiction lovers of course people who love a good who dunnit, Agatha Christie and even Sherlock lovers. As I said, there are points to the book that you can drop out of interest in, but in all a good book with excellent storytelling skills!
But so,etching happened. The drama ensued, the moonstone went missing! This book has so many levels and is such a strong piece of writing representing many values and essentials of the Victorian period. It has made my love of Victorian fiction and who dunnit stories increase. I'm trying to keep this a short review, what with it being 5am. But this book surprised me, the writing is strong and the plot excellent. Yes there were bits like the beginning and other parts where I did phase out a bit, a bit from tiredness but another bit from boredom... But on the most part I wanted to keep reading, the characters were intriguing and at first I was overloaded with so many that I didn't know who was who. But the book leaves way for the development of those vital to the plot. The multiple view points adds to this and the overall story, enabling nothing to be left out and the complexity of the narratives to be included.
As to whether I guessed right or not...
I listed of a few people I had suspicious thoughts on a few dats ago to my boyfriend.... Although one of my theories I came up with was not correct in plot. The character at the center of the crime was there.
Note: the part in the the viewpoint of miss clack, was magnificent, I hated her so much but also pitied her at points. The characterisation was really good, and I like coming from an atheist viewpoint in the 21st century to compare the points in her character with my views.
All in all, I'm impressed and this book was able to change my mind. It's a slow start, so would recommend people to stick with it and to not to expect to be wowed from the word go. Would recommend to Victorian fiction lovers of course people who love a good who dunnit, Agatha Christie and even Sherlock lovers. As I said, there are points to the book that you can drop out of interest in, but in all a good book with excellent storytelling skills!