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The Woman in White (1859)

by Wilkie Collins

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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12,731335482 (4.05)7 / 1372
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

The Woman in White is credited with being the first of the sensation novels, and one of the finest examples of the genre. A young woman's husband defrauds her of her fortune, her identity and eventually her sanity. She is saved by her sister and a loyal man who loves her, and her two rescuers attempt to expose her husband. They meet a woman dressed all in white whose fate seems curiously intertwined with that of the young woman. In the tradition of the sensation novel, the story contravenes boundaries of class, identity and the private and public spheres.

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English (321)  Italian (4)  French (2)  Spanish (2)  Dutch (2)  Portuguese (1)  Swedish (1)  Catalan (1)  All languages (334)
Showing 1-5 of 321 (next | show all)
I confess I like Count Fosco; he reminds me of Sydney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. This is not to say that I approve of his actions. He is also the only who truly appreciates Marian Halcombe; the hero, after admiring her figure from a distance, says to himself "(with a sense of surprise which words fail me to express), The lady is ugly!" (p. 23)
This isn't the only book of Victorian times in which England is such a small world that we shouldn't be surprised that so many characters happen to meet each other by chance. ( )
  raizel | Feb 6, 2024 |
The end is a bit drawn out, but all the loose ends are tied up and resolved. Quite the tale of intrigue and identity, with a number of references to the place of women in that society -- I suspect the author was a bit of a feminist in his time. Marian Halcombe is a very strong female character, even by today's standards! Collins was a contemporary of Dickens, and while this story has the saga-aspect like a Dickens book, it does not really have the long drawn out descriptions or rambling sentences of Dickens. For something written over a hundred years ago, it is actually very read-able. Just be careful you don't read too fast, or you will miss the subtleties implied in passages that are very period-typical.

It's a long read, but good.

( )
  LDVoorberg | Dec 24, 2023 |
For a long time I had meant to get round to reading this classic though its length was rather daunting, but the effort has proved worthwhile, even though I found a few plot elements coming back to me while reading, from having seen a BBC adaptation some years ago which I realise now must have followed the original pretty faithfully.

The edition I picked up in a charity shop had some interesting background reading to save for after reading the story, as it contained a lot of spoilers. Among other things it explained how the book was originally serialised in Charles Dickens' weekly newspaper and was then edited for later book publication, not least because an important part of the story hinges upon a date that a particular event had occurred and the author had slipped up with that in the serial version. Even now there is supposedly a date discrepancy in an ancillary event, but it didn't stand out to me while reading. I think also that this edition possibly reinstates some elements from the original manuscript that were subsequently excised - another review on Goodreads refers to Count Fosco's many titles having been dropped from an updated version, whereas the version I read still included them.

I had heard previously that this book is regarded as an early example of what became the detective genre, its original serial publication beginning in 1859. That applies more to the later half when the hero, Walter Hartright - whose name must surely be signficant - has to launch his own investigation to try to overturn the effects of an early example of identity theft. The early part is more of a unrequited love story and an unwanted marriage. I will say no more about the plot, not wishing to leave spoilers for anyone who doesn't know about the various twists and wants to read this afresh.

Being Victorian it is melodramatic in places and also employs very convoluted prose compared to the norm nowadays. But I found that part of its enduring charm. The story could only work in the period in which it was written, given that the plight of one of the main female characters turns upon her inability to go against her dead father's wishes, but if the reader can accept all that, it is an absorbing read and an increasingly suspenseful one in the second half.

The main glory of this book is the characters - not Hartright and Laura, the central couple - but Laura's older sister, Marian Halcombe who, despite the disadvantages and barriers to women at the time, is a strong minded, courageous and intelligent person, and the larger than life Count Fosco. The only letdown is that despite her active role early on in the story, Marian is relegated to the helper and attendant of men's activities which is the lot of her gender at the period. I did wonder why she seemed to have an attack of the vapours at a very inconvenient moment when she was all that stood between her sister and great danger, when she was otherwise so forthright and energetic, but I think that could possibly be ascribed to the abilities of a certain person, who almost certainly lies later on when he asserts that he resorted to drugging only a couple of people on two occasions. I suspect it was a lot more than that and could very well account for the lassitude and other maladies affecting the sisters.

This was an absorbing read and I only lower the rating to 4 stars due to some rather forced coincidences which wind up the story and the issues noted before relating to Marian. But I would certainly re-read this at some stage. ( )
  kitsune_reader | Nov 23, 2023 |
Loved it. I will admit that 50% through and I still wasn't sure what was going on but I really didn't care. I just wanted to read more. But oh my does it come together brilliantly. Highly recommended. ( )
  everettroberts | Oct 20, 2023 |
Read originally in paperform.[return][return]Listened to as part of Craftlit podcast. ( )
  nordie | Oct 14, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 321 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (64 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Collins, Wilkieprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bailey, JosephineNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cauti, CamilleIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dei, FedoraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Geeson, JudyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Giordani, AndreaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Holm, IanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Judge, PhoebeNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lamb, LyntonIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Landor, RosalynNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lee, JohnNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lorac, E. C. R.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
McLenan, JohnIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pendle, AlexyIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Prebble, SimonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rees, RogerNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ruffilli, PaoloIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Shipkovenska, MarianaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sutherland, JohnEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sweet, MatthewEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Symons, JulianIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tillotson, KathleenEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Trodd, AntheaEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tummolini, StefanoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Willis, ChristineEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Woolf, GabrielNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
Everyman, I will go with thee, and be thy guide, in thy most need to go by thy sided
Dedication
First words
This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve.
T. S. Eliot, in seeking to express his admiration for Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, together with Armadale and The Moonstone, regretted that there was no aesthetic of melodrama, a genuine art form. (Introduction)
An experiment is attempted in this novel, which has not (so far as I know) been hitherto tried in fiction. (Preface 1860)
'The Woman in White' has been received with such marked favour by a very large circle of readers, that this volume scarcely stands in need of any prefatory introduction on my part. (Preface 1861)
Quotations
The soft hazy twilight was just shading leaf and blossom alike into harmony with its own sober hues as we entered the room, and the sweet evening scent of the flowers met us with its fragrant welcome through the open glass doors.
There are three things that none of the young men of the present generation can do. They can't sit over their wine, they can't play at whist, and they can't pay a lady a compliment.
Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

The Woman in White is credited with being the first of the sensation novels, and one of the finest examples of the genre. A young woman's husband defrauds her of her fortune, her identity and eventually her sanity. She is saved by her sister and a loyal man who loves her, and her two rescuers attempt to expose her husband. They meet a woman dressed all in white whose fate seems curiously intertwined with that of the young woman. In the tradition of the sensation novel, the story contravenes boundaries of class, identity and the private and public spheres.

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Book description
When Walter Hartwright encounters a solitary, terrified, beautiful woman dressed in white on a moonlit night in London, he feels impelled to solve the mystery of her distress. The story, full of secrets, locked rooms, lost memories, and surprise revelations, features heroine Marian Halcombe and drawing-master Walter Hartright as sleuthing partners pitted against the diabolical Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde. This gothic psychological thriller, a mesmerizing tale of murder, intrigue, madness, and mistaken identity, has gripped the imagination of readers since its first publication in 1860. The breathtaking tension of Collins's narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.
Haiku summary
Identity theft,
money, madness, hidden crimes –
a Collins classic.
(passion4reading)
The Woman in White.
Count Fosco controls it all,
but Marian wins!
(rretzler)

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Penguin Australia

2 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0141439610, 0141389435

Tantor Media

An edition of this book was published by Tantor Media.

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