You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
siobhanward 's review for:
The Woman in White
by Wilkie Collins
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I found this book to be a bit of a let down. I mean, it was partially my fault (for some reason I was convinced it was going to be a ghost story??), but it just went on and on and on.
The plot itself was ok in some parts but so, so convoluted in others. The overall plot and idea of the plot was good - it was interesting and there were definitely some twists that I did not see coming. However, this was definitely a book that did not need to be 700+ pages long. There was just a lot of back and forth and a lot of long descriptions and conversations. I understand that it was a book of the time (and since it was originally written as a serial, you'd want to add those long descriptions to make sure it lasts as long as possible), but it just wasn't for me. The edition I read had lots of endnotes that compared Collins' original manuscript, the version that was published as a serial and the published version. Sometimes it was interesting but there were a lot of endnotes devoted to adjusting dates, because somewhere in the publication process, Collins moved the dates the book took place around by two weeks. There were some good endnotes that gave context to elements of the book though, so those were nice.
Anyway, still a 3* read because there were some elements that I didn't see coming, but it was just a lot to read.
The plot itself was ok in some parts but so, so convoluted in others. The overall plot and idea of the plot was good - it was interesting and there were definitely some twists that I did not see coming. However, this was definitely a book that did not need to be 700+ pages long. There was just a lot of back and forth and a lot of long descriptions and conversations. I understand that it was a book of the time (and since it was originally written as a serial, you'd want to add those long descriptions to make sure it lasts as long as possible), but it just wasn't for me. The edition I read had lots of endnotes that compared Collins' original manuscript, the version that was published as a serial and the published version. Sometimes it was interesting but there were a lot of endnotes devoted to adjusting dates, because somewhere in the publication process, Collins moved the dates the book took place around by two weeks. There were some good endnotes that gave context to elements of the book though, so those were nice.
Anyway, still a 3* read because there were some elements that I didn't see coming, but it was just a lot to read.