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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book. At first I had no idea what was happening, and as the story goes on I was taking guesses, sometime right and sometimes wrong. The characters were interesting and I liked the fact the story developed from the different characters viewpoint, however I did find the writing style the same no matter who was telling the story, I would have liked a bit of a difference in writing styles for each (I think I found the same in the Moonstone too).
There were lots of twists and turns on the way, although I found the ending drawn out. Although you find out what has happened it still takes 100 pages to tie up all the loose ends.
There were lots of twists and turns on the way, although I found the ending drawn out. Although you find out what has happened it still takes 100 pages to tie up all the loose ends.
So...it was a little long. But I enjoyed reading what is known to be the first detective book or mystery book written. Definetly lots of twists and connections to make it a good story. I enjoyed the author using a variety of voices to tell the story. The language of the 1860's is a little hard for me to read quickly, so it dragged a bit for me and took a lot of focused attention for me to read. But overall, good book!
dnf'd as founs this book really slow, it wasn't drawing me back and I was unconvinced this pace of drama could keep me coming back for another 400+ pages.
What a complex mystery! Although the book dragged quite a bit at some points, and it was a little repetitive, especially toward the end, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and it kept me guessing.
I definitely see why this is characterized as a Victorian Sensation novel. It's certainly sensational. The first 1/3 of the book was a bit slow, but it did pick up and kept my interest to the end. Some of the plot points sorted themselves out a bit too neatly for my taste, but overall it was a decent read. The villain was absolutely lovely. Great characterization! I definitely enjoyed The Moonstone better, but this was okay for me.
"Being, however, nothing but a woman, condemned to patience, propriety, and petticoats, for life, I must... try to compose myself in some feeble and feminine way."
I had high hopes for this story. We were left with Marian for most of the slowly unwinding, lengthy buildup... and then this most interesting of characters was pretty much dashed from the narrative the moment Mr. Hartright returned! There was a moment when I thought she would be instrumental in the ending, but no. The resolution wasn't nearly as satisfactory as it could have been.
I had high hopes for this story. We were left with Marian for most of the slowly unwinding, lengthy buildup... and then this most interesting of characters was pretty much dashed from the narrative the moment Mr. Hartright returned! There was a moment when I thought she would be instrumental in the ending, but no. The resolution wasn't nearly as satisfactory as it could have been.
Closer to 3.5/5 stars, and I KNOW this suffered from being the book I've read for the longest period of time IN MY WHOLE LIFE- not that I have been actively reading it this whole time- but I have to round down on my rating. I still liked it. I have to brush up on what exactly happened because I mixed a couple characters up every once in a while. But I'm looking forward to that because I really like looking up review, discussion, analyses, and watching adaptations of books. So... I really don't have much else to say here. I'm happy to have finally finished The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins and I'm so happy to even be saying that... or typing it.
Self-contained and tightly wound; paid off in all the right ways.
I absolutely loved this book. It is one of the best novels I have ever read and I have handed it off to the next reader already knowing that I should like to read it again one day.
I loved the way the author used various narrators rather than one to unveil the intricacies of the whole story. I loved that he kept me guessing the whole time and that I was actually able to experience the thrill of not knowing what was going to happen (a rare treat for me). It was difficult to put the book down! I kept wanting to read just another section (and another, and another…).
The characters were each brilliant; the storytelling exceptional. Uncle Fairlie was my favorite. His account made me laugh aloud as I read.
I highly recommend this story. I have already picked up a second work by Wilkie Collins and am looking forward to diving into it.
I loved the way the author used various narrators rather than one to unveil the intricacies of the whole story. I loved that he kept me guessing the whole time and that I was actually able to experience the thrill of not knowing what was going to happen (a rare treat for me). It was difficult to put the book down! I kept wanting to read just another section (and another, and another…).
The characters were each brilliant; the storytelling exceptional. Uncle Fairlie was my favorite. His account made me laugh aloud as I read.
I highly recommend this story. I have already picked up a second work by Wilkie Collins and am looking forward to diving into it.
This is VERY Victorian... If that is not your thing, it may seem like way too many pages. Great twists and turns.