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nicmanenapada's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
connor_shirs's review against another edition
3.0
I really don't know what to rate this book. It had its strengths and weaknesses.
damonk's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
oh_the_ennui's review against another edition
4.0
Prior to reading the introduction to the Wordsworth edition that I purchased, I hadn’t realized that this was the same author of “The Moonstone.” I found this to be a more enjoyable read than the Moonstone for the modern reader. The epistolary style lends a unique and deep perspective to many of the main characters which had me feeling emotionally connected to all of the major players. The characters themselves were complex and I enjoyed hearing their very distinct dialogues and wats of speaking which evoked a heightened sense of realism with each character. The ending is “shocking” in a way that probable would have been much more offense to a Victorian mindset, but overall watching the highly developed cast of characters interact was enough to make this gloomy, atmospheric novel a lovely pick for evening reading in the autumn.
etinney's review against another edition
3.0
3 out of 5 stars
Oops this book took me way longer to read than expected. Though this is partially my fault for being distracted by Netflix and refusing to read more than one book at a time.
Being the first "sensation novel" written by a white guy in 19th century, I knew this was not going to be the most action-packed or most forward-thinking story. For every strong independent woman (Marian- who was apparently ugly and unmarriable), there were five infantilized women who were helpless to the men around them. However, my reading pace was definitely slowed by the different narrations. The first and third thirds of the book dragged for me. The second part of the book went the most quickly for me, and I actually was intrigued and a bit creeped out by the events. After finishing, I realized that Walter's voice was the most boring throughout the novel. Collins did a great job of giving the characters distinct voices, but Walter's voice focused more on telling rather than showing. I became frustrated with how bored I was throughout his narrative, especially at the end.
The ending was the most unbelievable part for me. Besides everything wrapping up incredibly neatly and conveniently, the story had almost a Disney movie type ending for me (complete with me imagining every character at the end going "YAY!" while jumping the air simultaneously). It ruined the mood that was built throughout the entire story and that is what lowered my rating by about half a star.
Overall, it is one of the more interesting classics I have read but definitely not a favorite of mine.
Oops this book took me way longer to read than expected. Though this is partially my fault for being distracted by Netflix and refusing to read more than one book at a time.
Being the first "sensation novel" written by a white guy in 19th century, I knew this was not going to be the most action-packed or most forward-thinking story. For every strong independent woman (Marian- who was apparently ugly and unmarriable), there were five infantilized women who were helpless to the men around them. However, my reading pace was definitely slowed by the different narrations. The first and third thirds of the book dragged for me. The second part of the book went the most quickly for me, and I actually was intrigued and a bit creeped out by the events. After finishing, I realized that Walter's voice was the most boring throughout the novel. Collins did a great job of giving the characters distinct voices, but Walter's voice focused more on telling rather than showing. I became frustrated with how bored I was throughout his narrative, especially at the end.
The ending was the most unbelievable part for me. Besides everything wrapping up incredibly neatly and conveniently, the story had almost a Disney movie type ending for me (complete with me imagining every character at the end going "YAY!" while jumping the air simultaneously). It ruined the mood that was built throughout the entire story and that is what lowered my rating by about half a star.
Overall, it is one of the more interesting classics I have read but definitely not a favorite of mine.
elsadicriscienzo's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emily1602's review against another edition
Extremely fun page turner. Similar to Dickens for obvious reasons. Vivid characters like his, but probably spookier than anything Dickens wrote. Parts of it were comically old-fashioned (Marian's attitude toward women for instance; she can't go a sentence without reminding us that women are weak and foolish and barely capable of crossing from one end of a room to another without assistance) but other parts were quite modern (one observation I remember is Marian's that her first distrust of Percival began because he was rude to servants). Fosco was fun, Sir Percival was both intimidating and pathetic, and Walter Hartright was a sweetheart. A bit contrived at the end, but it did not make me enjoy the book any less. At one point I was so excited because I thought Percival's secret was that he was some random guy who had stolen the real baron's identity, which would have been such an exciting scam but oh well, he was just illegitimate.
hopeloveslit's review against another edition
4.0
“This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve.”
The Woman in White is a sensational mystery. It’s one of the best Victorian novels I’ve read. It's densely plotted with the perfect use of gothic aesthetics. If you're not familiar with novels from this era, you may not like Collins's long-winded prose. I believe he does it well though.
"There, in the middle of the broad bright high-road—there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven—stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments, her face bent in grave inquiry on mine, her hand pointing to the dark cloud over London, as I faced her."
Collins takes readers into deception, madness, love, and suspense. I loved the complexity of Collins's writing style. He effortlessly strung together one of the most intense plots. The narrative flows so well, that you will probably forget you’re reading!
“It was cold and barren. It was no longer the view that I remembered. The sunshine of her presence was far from me. The charm of her voice no longer murmured in my ear.”
The novel follows a teacher, Walter, and his encounter with a ‘woman in white’ who has escaped an asylum. To keep this review spoiler-free, that’s all I’ll say about the plot. However, I couldn’t have guessed where this story was going! Overall, I highly recommend this novel if you like intricate mysteries.
The Woman in White is a sensational mystery. It’s one of the best Victorian novels I’ve read. It's densely plotted with the perfect use of gothic aesthetics. If you're not familiar with novels from this era, you may not like Collins's long-winded prose. I believe he does it well though.
"There, in the middle of the broad bright high-road—there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven—stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments, her face bent in grave inquiry on mine, her hand pointing to the dark cloud over London, as I faced her."
Collins takes readers into deception, madness, love, and suspense. I loved the complexity of Collins's writing style. He effortlessly strung together one of the most intense plots. The narrative flows so well, that you will probably forget you’re reading!
“It was cold and barren. It was no longer the view that I remembered. The sunshine of her presence was far from me. The charm of her voice no longer murmured in my ear.”
The novel follows a teacher, Walter, and his encounter with a ‘woman in white’ who has escaped an asylum. To keep this review spoiler-free, that’s all I’ll say about the plot. However, I couldn’t have guessed where this story was going! Overall, I highly recommend this novel if you like intricate mysteries.
jennbliven's review against another edition
3.0
Soooooo long.... omg. It took me months to read. I can appreciate the beauty of the story, of the writing, but it was never-ending.
emmacspoor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0