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fhammond_36's review against another edition
4.0
A detailed mystery with a cast of characters that Dickens would love. Miss Clack with her tracts and her stubborn interference. The mysterious Ezra and doddering old Betteridge with his Robinson Crusoe. Gruff Bruff and Gooseberry and the incisive Sergeant Cuff. And the misunderstandings and drama! Fanny from Cold Comfort Farm would have sorted them all out in a moment. Much better than I expected. Thanks Davina and Katharine
rqnee's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
kushagrasachan's review against another edition
5.0
"I would take to domestic service tomorrow, Mr. Betteredge, if I had a chance of being employed along with You!"
It might not actually be a stretch to say that Mr. Collins—oh, I can't ever forget putting my 'Mr.'s after reading this book—builds the character of Mr. Betteredge so admirably well that perhaps the reader's wish itself is vicariously spoken through this exclamation by Sergeant Cuff.
dyno8426's review against another edition
4.0
The origins of detective mystery have been traced back to this book. Reading this, one can see how this ageless and beloved literary genre evolved from this budding work. This branching out would eventually result in the creation of iconic characters (the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot) in the times to come. In the process of learning more about it, I came across its Wiki page which very nicely enlisted the essential elements of a good mystery that the story in this book offered and rendered a template for good detective fiction in the process. Referring to that list of tropes verbatim, you'll find all of them checked off in this book:
1. an English country house robbery
2. an "inside job"
3. red herrings
4. a celebrated, skilled, professional investigator
5. a bungling local constabulary
6. detective enquiries
7. a large number of false suspects
8. the "least likely suspect"
9. a reconstruction of the crime
10. a final twist in the plot
While it's not a perfect mystery by any means, it does engage the mind and reveals unexpected disclosures. The enriching aspect is Collins' writing here and his witty humour through interesting characters (who take turns to give their narrative in their typically eccentric manner). There are Gothic flavours in the narrative as well, with psychological extremes of love, hatred, fear and thrill. Thus, this work is interesting because of its history, while being enjoyable due to its multi-dimensionality.
1. an English country house robbery
2. an "inside job"
3. red herrings
4. a celebrated, skilled, professional investigator
5. a bungling local constabulary
6. detective enquiries
7. a large number of false suspects
8. the "least likely suspect"
9. a reconstruction of the crime
10. a final twist in the plot
While it's not a perfect mystery by any means, it does engage the mind and reveals unexpected disclosures. The enriching aspect is Collins' writing here and his witty humour through interesting characters (who take turns to give their narrative in their typically eccentric manner). There are Gothic flavours in the narrative as well, with psychological extremes of love, hatred, fear and thrill. Thus, this work is interesting because of its history, while being enjoyable due to its multi-dimensionality.
jmaryw's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kellyrenea's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! One of the first great detective novels! It was interesting to tell the story from many different POV, therefore leaving the reader to wonder how honestly to take each viewpoint. I personally loved Betteridge, not the other ones as much. He made me want to read Robinson Crusoe right now.
shorty_320's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bexlrose's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Really wonderful book, I challenge you to try not to be utterly charmed by Gabriel Betteredge as a character. I'm giving it a 4.5 stars, and the only reason it doesn't get a 5 is because of the length. A book as long as The Moonstone has to be completely astonishing for me to give it 5 stars because of the investment of time. It was well worth my time, so it get a 4.5 stars, but it still did feel quite long. Do read it.
wandererzarina's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gamergirl77's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0