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corrye_11's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
elliemccabe's review against another edition
3.0
I did enjoy this story. I started this book because I was told there was a marvelous villainess. and Lydia was, she was what might have become of tess d'urbervilles had she lived past the trail as Lydia did.
However the Victorian way of paying per word does not suit this story. For every interesting chapter there are two chapters in-between where nothing happens! yet those few interesting chapters kept me from giving up. I think this story would fit very well into a 2.5 hour movie. Which you usually cant say about a 800 page book.
Finally could 53 year old really pass of as a 28 year old and enthrall two 21 year olds? Especially in Victorian England!!
However the Victorian way of paying per word does not suit this story. For every interesting chapter there are two chapters in-between where nothing happens! yet those few interesting chapters kept me from giving up. I think this story would fit very well into a 2.5 hour movie. Which you usually cant say about a 800 page book.
Finally could 53 year old really pass of as a 28 year old and enthrall two 21 year olds? Especially in Victorian England!!
bwlane's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh, this fucking book. While there were some really fun aspects -- the mystery that begins the first ~1/3rd of the book is super compelling -- the thing falls apart and never gets its shit together.
After the introduction of the initial mystery in the prologue and then the characters who show up in the first part, I was expecting a cool mystery with some thrills, spills and chills. What I got was a dumbfuck main character who is too stupid to be alive; a scared, paranoid asshole who has absolutely no interesting qualities; and a villain who is only villainous if you have absolutely no empathy in your brain.
At one point, a character checks on a governess's reference and this dramatic bombshell causes him to become a pariah, and to lose his best friend. What the everloving hell. I can see the loss of reputation as being a really important stake for a character to fret over, and something that could introduce drama into a story, but this character has just fallen ass-backwards into a huge sum of money and property by doing absolutely nothing. Because he gained everything through no effort of his own, losing everything by behaving the exact same way is not compelling either.
Additionally, the friend whom he loses just becomes friends with him later for, uh, reasons, I guess?
People fall in love with others in the story like five times, based on about one, one-and-a-half meetings. Ugh. All the promise of the first section was flushed into a drawing room, superstitious nonsense parade.
Additionally, I read this on the Kindle because Amazon said it was 400 pages, and I was down for a book of that length. When this monstrosity turned out to be 700+ pages, I was already in too deep to give up. Very frustrating.
After the introduction of the initial mystery in the prologue and then the characters who show up in the first part, I was expecting a cool mystery with some thrills, spills and chills. What I got was a dumbfuck main character who is too stupid to be alive; a scared, paranoid asshole who has absolutely no interesting qualities; and a villain who is only villainous if you have absolutely no empathy in your brain.
At one point, a character checks on a governess's reference and this dramatic bombshell causes him to become a pariah, and to lose his best friend. What the everloving hell. I can see the loss of reputation as being a really important stake for a character to fret over, and something that could introduce drama into a story, but this character has just fallen ass-backwards into a huge sum of money and property by doing absolutely nothing. Because he gained everything through no effort of his own, losing everything by behaving the exact same way is not compelling either.
Additionally, the friend whom he loses just becomes friends with him later for, uh, reasons, I guess?
People fall in love with others in the story like five times, based on about one, one-and-a-half meetings. Ugh. All the promise of the first section was flushed into a drawing room, superstitious nonsense parade.
Additionally, I read this on the Kindle because Amazon said it was 400 pages, and I was down for a book of that length. When this monstrosity turned out to be 700+ pages, I was already in too deep to give up. Very frustrating.
lirelyn's review against another edition
A gothic classic, with dark family secrets, ominous dreams and premonitions, and the lurking shadow of fate. I've read this twice now, and while it didn't hold up on second reading as well as The Woman in White or The Moonstone, I did enjoy it both times. The core theme of the book is whether love can overcome fate, and it's played out in two relationships: one fraternal, one romantic, with the fraternal (although not literally so) relationship taking center stage. Modern readers don't have the same ideas of fate and inherited destiny that informed the book, so to really appreciate it requires some stepping out of one's own viewpoint and imagining a world where there is a genuine fear that you might be doomed to repeat your father's crimes. If you can do that, though, and if you enjoy the gothic style Collins is so great at, it's well worth a read, especially for the strong characterizations, and the love story which I've found as compelling as any romantic one.
lifeonmybookcase's review against another edition
5.0
I’m such a fan of Wilkie Collins, and this book has just increased this. I enjoyed the story, and despite the strange and complex premise it had an engaging plot. The characters were solidly written and felt very real.
moriartyandherbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Just fine. I'm a bit disappointed, but only because I expected more than what I got. Overall still enjoyable!
jhnd's review against another edition
4.0
Not in the league of the Moonstone or Woman in White, but a gripping thriller none the less
ruthiella's review against another edition
3.0
I chose Armadale to fill the “Classic with a Name in the Title” category for the Back to the Classics 2015 challenge hosted at http://karensbooksandchocolate.blogspot.com/ . Armadale is about two men who have the same name of Allen Armadale and both have good reason to hate one another. They end up each having sons upon whom they bestow their names and possibly their blood feud. One of the major themes of the novel is whether or not the sins of the father are fated to be visited on the sons or if one determines his own destinies.
Now, I love Victorian “sensation novels” in which the sane are deviously committed to asylums, inheritances are stolen and family secrets are shoved under the rug only to ruin the lives of subsequent generations, but boy, did the story in Armadale move s l o w l y. This is not uncommon for Victorian novels that were serialized, of course, but after reading the zippy prologue which sets up the main plot in under 50 pages, I did occasionally find it hard going; mostly because I found two protagonists, Allen Armadale Juniors, to be dull and one-note; one is a neurotic and the other a cheerful dolt. But then finally the “villain” of the novel is introduced, some 200 pages in, and things finally started looking up. In fact, it is Lydia’s story which is the real mystery and the driving force of the plot. I would also pose the question of whether or not she is a villain at all. Granted, she isn’t a kind person, she admits as much herself, but I would argue that she is as much a victim as either of the young Armandales. The way she holds power over the poor Mr. Basherwood reminded me very much of that crazy character in Dracula who catches and eats flies, pining away for his master.
In brief, I liked it, it was fun to read. But it won’t be replacing The Woman in White as my favorite Collin’s novel.
Now, I love Victorian “sensation novels” in which the sane are deviously committed to asylums, inheritances are stolen and family secrets are shoved under the rug only to ruin the lives of subsequent generations, but boy, did the story in Armadale move s l o w l y. This is not uncommon for Victorian novels that were serialized, of course, but after reading the zippy prologue which sets up the main plot in under 50 pages, I did occasionally find it hard going; mostly because I found two protagonists, Allen Armadale Juniors, to be dull and one-note; one is a neurotic and the other a cheerful dolt. But then finally the “villain” of the novel is introduced, some 200 pages in, and things finally started looking up. In fact, it is Lydia’s story which is the real mystery and the driving force of the plot. I would also pose the question of whether or not she is a villain at all. Granted, she isn’t a kind person, she admits as much herself, but I would argue that she is as much a victim as either of the young Armandales. The way she holds power over the poor Mr. Basherwood reminded me very much of that crazy character in Dracula who catches and eats flies, pining away for his master.
In brief, I liked it, it was fun to read. But it won’t be replacing The Woman in White as my favorite Collin’s novel.
charlottesometimes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0