First read in 2001, from the 15th of December to the 26th; this time, from the 25th of July until the 24th of August.The fun in rereading a mystery -- if you can remember whodunit; usually with my memory and how long I wait between rereads, it doesn't matter anyway -- but if you can remember, the fun is in watching the story unfold with a knowing eye. I wonder if that's how it will be when we do our life reviews, except of course then we won't be able to be so dispassionate, will we?
But I digress. In The Moonstone, considered the first real mystery, which set the entire mystery genre in motion, Collins is at his humorous best.
The first time around, I enjoyed his characters and their quirky names, ofttimes forgetting to follow the plot I was so amusingly diverted by the the likes of the Robinson Crusoe-quoting head servant Betteredge, self-righteous Miss Clack's attempts to convert the world or at least her aunt, Aunt Ablewhite's inability to accomplish anything and the original Sherlock Holmes prototype, Sergeant Cuff and his love of roses. If those names aren't descriptive enough, there's also a banker named Lucre and a lawyer named Bruff.
I also enjoyed his use of third person narrative. Beginning with Gabriel Betteredge (get it? Better Edge!) Collins proceeds to Miss Clack's story (clackety clack went her tongue...or think of "The Clackers" in The Devil Wears Prada) and then narrates through Mr. Franklin Blake, etc. It's a very effective and interesting way to tell a story. You come to know the characters better and enjoy seeing the story unfold from numerous perspectives.
One of the reasons I like a book is when--and if--it opens my mind to something I did not know before. In the case of The Moonstone, there was an interesting twist, a plot that revolved around the effects of opium on a character. It was recommended that to learn more about this subject, read, Confessions of an Opium Eater. I shall have to add this to my "To Be Read" list. I had no idea, prior to reading The Moonstone, that opium has effects other than that of pain relief.
Although considered by many, including yours truly, Collins' finest novel, the author himself did not agree with that assessment of The Moonstone. Perhaps he may be forgiven this undervaluing of his masterpiece of mysteries because Mr. Collins was suffering from a painful illness at the time he wrote The Moonstone which led him to use the only pain-reliever of the day--opium--and hence his own experience of writing The Moonstone could not have been a pleasant one.
'Wilkie Collins was born on 8 January 1824 and died on 23 September 1889. In those 65 years he wrote 27 novels, more than 50 short stories, at least 15 plays, and more than 100 non-fiction pieces. A close friend of Charles Dickens from their meeting in March 1851 until Dickens' death in June 1870, Collins was one of the best known, best loved, and, for a time, best paid of Victorian fiction writers. But after his death, his reputation declined as Dickens's bloomed. Now, Collins is being given more critical and popular attention than he has for fifty years. Almost all his books are in print, he is studied widely, and new film and television versions of some of his books have been made. Nevertheless, there is still much to be discovered about this superstar of Victorian fiction.' http://www.wilkiecollins.com/
My own personal discovery of Wilkie Collins was six years ago when I was in the middle of Charles Dickens' study. At that period of my life, I 'tackled' a new author each summer and attempted to read as many of his/her novels as possible before the (home) school year began again. The summer of 2001 was the summer of Dickens...and Hard Times, Martin Chuzzlewit and my all-time favorite, Bleak House, which is anything but bleak. In reading a biography about Dickens, I learned about his publishing pressures and a particular friend, Wilkie Collins.
"Wilkie Collins? Never heard of him. What did he write?" Then Blackstone, my favorite book-on-tape merchant featured The Moonstone on their monthly sale page. Why not? I bought it, tried it and loved it! I never guessed whodunit or how. Not that that is any surprise. I'm an Agatha Christie drop-out too. Only after reading 90% of her mysteries have I finally figured out that the murderer is usually the person who has the greatest motive, but least opportunity. Of course, often, the motive is also unknown which makes it even more difficult, if not downright impossible to solve. And if I do occasionally happen to figure out whodunit, I never manage to figure out how, so mystery writers rest easy!
But The Moonstone was the first of the mysteries and it's not a murder mystery. It involves the theft of a famous Indian diamond, yellow in color and resembling the moon. So much I'd like to tell you about The Moonstone, but unfortunately I can't for the very reason that it is a mystery and it would spoil it. However, I can say that I enjoyed it every bit as much on this second listen through. It is read by a cast of three readers, two men and a woman and they play the parts of the several male and the one female narrators of the story.
After my first unsuccessful attempt to solve the crime (I didn't feel so bad since Sergeant Cuff himself was also deceived as to who was the real culprit) I tried to interest my family in listening to the book on one of our long journeys back to St. Louis but unfortunately the car tape deck broke along the way and my hopes were dashed.
We were several tapes into the book but no one else in my family was as dismayed by this calamity as I was, which might have led me to doubt my conviction about this story, but it didn't. Then recently we watched the movie, The Woman in White, based on another of Collins' book--this one being his own personal favorite--and my entire family was quite enthralled with the story, also a very thrilling mystery. I knew that the only reason they hadn't fallen in love with The Moonstone was because they hadn't gotten far enough along in the book. Victorian stories move at a slower pace; they don't 'hook' you right away like modern tales do. Another time...
I highly recommend listening, if you can. But if not, just be sure to read it. As a piece of Literature, it is not only first-rate, but it's also History! You owe it to yourself to meet Mr. Collins and the marvelous characters he has created in this clever story. And yes, The Woman in White is good, but sorry, I still think The Moonstone is better. Wilkie Collins' fans are split down the middle, so you must read both and place your vote too!
*****
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