It is the nature of truth to struggle to the light The Moonstone
Wilkie Collins
Penguin Canada
It took me almost four weeks to make it through this novel. Not because it was too long or too boring -- but because it was too good. When I first started the book, I decided to play along to see if I could figure out the "whodunit." Maybe I'm not too smart, or maybe Collins' is just a fantastic writer because this story kept me guessing until the very end.
Considered by some to be the first example of detective fiction in the English language, The Moonstone is a story about a famous yellow diamond that is said to carry a terrible Indian curse. Collins uses multiple narrators (all of whom are wholly unreliable) to spin the tale and he introduces his readers to the various types that are now standard in early mystery novels -- the bungling local policeman, the savvy gentleman amateur investigator, the mythic professional from Scotland Yard, the manor house as scene-of-the-crime, a plethora of suspects and the infamous red herring.
From a social perspective, the novel also had a lot to offer. Collins was quite liberal for his day and he had very forward-thinking views on class, race, and religion. His characterization of Miss Clack (a poor relation to one of the main characters and a tract-distributing zealot) had me in stitches. The novel was choc-a-bloc full of humour and pathos and probably should have been included on my Victorian lit syllabus when I was studying at university. Oh -- so many books, so little time. Three and one half candles in the drawing room with Professor Plum.
Wilkie Collins
Penguin Canada
It took me almost four weeks to make it through this novel. Not because it was too long or too boring -- but because it was too good. When I first started the book, I decided to play along to see if I could figure out the "whodunit." Maybe I'm not too smart, or maybe Collins' is just a fantastic writer because this story kept me guessing until the very end.
Considered by some to be the first example of detective fiction in the English language, The Moonstone is a story about a famous yellow diamond that is said to carry a terrible Indian curse. Collins uses multiple narrators (all of whom are wholly unreliable) to spin the tale and he introduces his readers to the various types that are now standard in early mystery novels -- the bungling local policeman, the savvy gentleman amateur investigator, the mythic professional from Scotland Yard, the manor house as scene-of-the-crime, a plethora of suspects and the infamous red herring.
From a social perspective, the novel also had a lot to offer. Collins was quite liberal for his day and he had very forward-thinking views on class, race, and religion. His characterization of Miss Clack (a poor relation to one of the main characters and a tract-distributing zealot) had me in stitches. The novel was choc-a-bloc full of humour and pathos and probably should have been included on my Victorian lit syllabus when I was studying at university. Oh -- so many books, so little time. Three and one half candles in the drawing room with Professor Plum.
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