Scan barcode
A review by silver_valkyrie_reads
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I always remember The Woman in White as being a bit dry and tedious (perhaps it suffered in comparison to the far more dramatic musical) and was torn between my desire to read the 'first true detective novel in the English language' and my hesitation to read anything else by Wilkie Collins.
I'm glad I finally just went for it, but it was quite entertaining, in much the same way an Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes would be. (It was also a bit more wordy and drawn out than either of those, and perhaps even a tinge more melodramatic, but as I don't mind the Victorian style, that didn't harm my enjoyment of the story.)
I am actually also glad I didn't read this at a much younger age though, because some of the narration is, not quite what I would call 'unreliable' but definitely 'biased', and a lot of the nuances of social interactions in that context would have gone over my head a decade ago.
I'm glad I finally just went for it, but it was quite entertaining, in much the same way an Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes would be. (It was also a bit more wordy and drawn out than either of those, and perhaps even a tinge more melodramatic, but as I don't mind the Victorian style, that didn't harm my enjoyment of the story.)
I am actually also glad I didn't read this at a much younger age though, because some of the narration is, not quite what I would call 'unreliable' but definitely 'biased', and a lot of the nuances of social interactions in that context would have gone over my head a decade ago.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Addiction and Colonisation