About:
The Moonestone by Wilkie Collins is a mystery revolving around an enormous diamond stolen from an Indian shrine and brought to England. Mr. Collins is a beloved, and popular Victorian writer and a close friend of Charles Dickens.
- 688 pages
- Publisher : Macmillan Collector’s Library
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 1509850902
My rating for The Moonstone – 5
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Thoughts:
A few years ago I read Mr. Collin’s The Woman in White and thought it was excellent. I got several comments saying I should check out The Moonstone since that is Wilkie Collins’ most beloved book. Finally, I got around to reading it, and it met all the praise it has gotten.
The fascinating aspect of this is that the narrative is told from the perspective of several of the main characters, they don’t lie but we do get a different story based on how they saw the events. It is a credit to Wilkie Collins’ talent that each section has its own voice and tone, completely separate from the others.
Today this book might read like a run-of-the-mill detective novel, however, it was written in 1868. Arthur Conan Doyle published his first Sherlock Holmes book in 1887, this book didn’t just stand the test of time but is also a groundbreaking novel.
There are a lot of different elements to the story. a beautiful, young rich heroine, a cursed jewel, Victorian mansions, death, romance, bungling cop, a smart butler, many twists and turns, and most important of all, a satisfying ending. Wilike Collins masterfully pulled together all the strands of this complicated plot, a true testament to his writing talent and ability.
Synopsis:
A young English woman, Rachel Verinder, inherits a large diamond on her 18th birthday. The diamond is a very significant religious artifact and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recover it and bring it back to the temple in India.
During Rachel’s birthday party the diamond is stolen, and along the way a murder happens. A large cast of characters tells the story from their own point of view, until the mystery is solved.
Buy The Moonstone from Amazon.com*
More books by Wilkie Collins*
Zohar – Man of La Book
Disclaimer: I bought this book
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