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A review by lostinthelibrary
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
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
4.0
Ooh what a perfect treat for these dark winter nights. I really enjoyed this book. The use of multiple narratives was very impressive, to be able to take on so convincingly the voices of so many characters in an age when that had never been attempted is quite a feat.
And what fabulous characters they were. Collins covers the whole gamut of Victorian class and status and his female characters, in particular, are really interesting. Laura was almost a parody of a typical gothic heroine from the books of the 18th and early 19th century, beautiful but passive. All the male characters are instantly in love with her without much explanation why other than how she looks. Anne Catherick represents the dark side of the Victorian heroine where the hardships of her life have affected her mental and physical health to such an extent that she is almost other-worldly. But my favourite was of course, Marian, a much more modern heroine perhaps influenced by the contemporary Jane Eyre. I think the view of womanhood was already changing in the mid-19th century and lots of different types of women are reflected in this book.
The male characters were equally intriguing. The the villains, Glyde and Fosco, were wonderfully villainous and the secondary characters like Farlie, Pesca and even the clerk at the church were such fun characters that provided well-timed comic relief.
Unfortunately, Collins nuanced take on the gothic heroine was not extended to the story's hero. Hartright was too perfect and good at everything: attractive, kind, loyal son, good friend, talented artist, amateur detective, competent in legal matters, physically strong, cross country runner, able to galvanise a crowd in a crisis.
No man is all of these things! It would have been more interesting if he had some faults or moments of failure at all.
Finally, what made this book was the atmosphere and the twists, just when you thought everything had been solved another layer of the story would be unravelled or a new shocking event would occur, this made the story thrilling and chilling and worth its length. A very deserved classic
And what fabulous characters they were. Collins covers the whole gamut of Victorian class and status and his female characters, in particular, are really interesting. Laura was almost a parody of a typical gothic heroine from the books of the 18th and early 19th century, beautiful but passive. All the male characters are instantly in love with her without much explanation why other than how she looks. Anne Catherick represents the dark side of the Victorian heroine where the hardships of her life have affected her mental and physical health to such an extent that she is almost other-worldly. But my favourite was of course, Marian, a much more modern heroine perhaps influenced by the contemporary Jane Eyre. I think the view of womanhood was already changing in the mid-19th century and lots of different types of women are reflected in this book.
The male characters were equally intriguing. The the villains, Glyde and Fosco, were wonderfully villainous and the secondary characters like Farlie, Pesca and even the clerk at the church were such fun characters that provided well-timed comic relief.
Unfortunately, Collins nuanced take on the gothic heroine was not extended to the story's hero. Hartright was too perfect and good at everything: attractive, kind, loyal son, good friend, talented artist, amateur detective, competent in legal matters, physically strong, cross country runner, able to galvanise a crowd in a crisis.
No man is all of these things! It would have been more interesting if he had some faults or moments of failure at all.
Finally, what made this book was the atmosphere and the twists, just when you thought everything had been solved another layer of the story would be unravelled or a new shocking event would occur, this made the story thrilling and chilling and worth its length. A very deserved classic
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization