Thursday, March 5, 2015

Wilkie Collins and the big, bright diamond

The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins
I avoided reading The Moonstone for several years because of the novel's premise.  I was pretty sure that I would find a Victorian era novel about a representative of the British empire stealing a priceless Indian diamond and the inevitable "Hindoo" curse that followed him and his extended family to be supremely offensive to my sensibilities.  But I decided to give it a shot because people seriously love this book, it's been on my shelf for a long time, I had a feeling it would be pretty amazing as an audiobook, and winter is a good time to settle down with a mystery novel.

The Moonstone centers on a diamond stolen from a temple in India.  It ends up in England and Rachel Verinder receives it as an 18th birthday present, wowing everyone with its size and glitter and value.  She (stupidly) decides not to lock it up at night and then everyone is shocked when the diamond is no longer there in the morning.  Suspicion immediately falls on three Indian men who have been hanging about the village, but things are not quite as clear as they seem.

And I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with this book!  (Caveats to follow shortly.)  I really enjoyed the multiple narrators employed to tell the story.  I always love books with multiple narrators, and Collins gave each of the narrators very distinct personalities and voices.  And Wilkie Collins clearly had a very well-developed sense of humor and probably was a fantastic dinner party guest.  The slightly sarcastic asides, the gentle nudges in your side, the obsession with Robinson Crusoe and God and the rigidity of the class system - it's pretty clear that Collins knew his audience well and used his book to mock them just a little bit.  I loved it.  There are some truly memorable characters and laugh-out-loud moments here (particularly in scenes involving the sanctimonious cousin, who dropped ridiculously-named religious pamphlets like "Satan is in the Pillowcases" everywhere).

It was also a jolly good (the Victorian era has rubbed off on my vocabulary) story.  Yes, there's the mystery, of course, which is pretty great.  But there's so much more, too!  The way in which Rachel inherits her money and how that influences suitors for her hand.  The way in which so many Victorian men led double lives of vice and virtue.  (Vice & Virtue would TOTALLY have been an amazing Jane Austen book if she had lived to write it.)  The way some people claimed to be so religious but really were just self-absorbed.  The very Victorian way people had of bursting/dying/pining/sighing for the people they loved, while remaining stoic on the outside.

So yes!  It's a lot of fun!

BUT I was seriously annoyed with the way everyone kept referring to the three Indian men as being thieves!  I mean, come ON, people, you know how your shady relative stole the diamond, and you KNOW the history about there always being three Brahmin guardians to watch over the diamond, and you KNOW that the diamond is cursed.  And yet!  You still insist that it was Miss Rachel Verinder's diamond and completely ignore all of history to hone all of your resources on the Indian men.  How very British Imperial mindset of you.  #blinderson

Slight spoiler to follow:  (Highlight to see text.)  I admit, if the book had ended differently than it actually did, I totally would have knocked the rating down a serious peg or two.  The entire way through the book, I was concerned about the ending, but luckily Wilkie came through for me.  So perhaps Wilkie was making a point to his crazy countrymen, hmm?  Hooray for him!!

I think Wilkie Collins used this book to highlight many hypocrisies that existed in Victorian England.  He also used the book to tell a pretty great story, and he succeeded in reaching both his goals.  This was a really fun read, and definitely a book I will keep on my shelf.  I also highly recommend you to seek out a good audiobook edition, preferably one with a whole cast to take on the roles of each of the narrators!

Also, the book is probably going to make you want to read Robinson Crusoe.  So, just be prepared.

12 comments:

  1. This is one of my favorite reads of all time; the multiple narrators are just so wonderful. I agree that the way the Brahmin guards are portrayed and handled by the story is troublesome, but we are getting very particular perspectives, and like you say, Collins comes through in the end.

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    1. Yes, I think this is one I'll read again, too. I had a rocky start with Collins, as Armadale was the first book I read by him, but I've enjoyed all the others!

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  2. I read two books by Collins when I first got my e-reader, this one and Woman in White, and then haven't read anything by him since... I also have to admit that while I liked them, I can hardly remember them. oops!

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    1. Well, that's probably because you have many other books in your memory! I think that's why I like having a blog of the books I've read over the past several years - at least serves to semi-jog my memory on the tale!

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  3. I picked this book up at a used book sale for pennies, with no knowledge of who the author was or the fame surrounding the book, simply because the title was Moonstone and The Moonstone Castle Mystery was my favorite Nancy Drew. It wasn't until I did research years later, I learned of the near-cult like status of the work. Your review makes me want to dig it out and read it tonight! ~ L

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    1. You definitely should! I feel certain than the Moonstone Castle Mystery must somehow be an homage to Collins.

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  4. I have this one on my Classics Club list and I'm excited to read it. The good news is that I've already read Robinson Crusoe! :)

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    1. Haha, I think you will enjoy the allusions, then! I haven't read Crusoe yet but must remedy that situation.

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  5. I haven't read The Moonstone yet, but I do really, really like Wilkie Collins. He is a fantastic author and has a marvellous ability to rope a reader in.

    I've read No Name and The Lady and the Law. I really, really enjoyed both so much. In fact, I started reading both by accident - both times I was just glancing through them with no intention of actually reading them.

    So I know Collins is good. I haven't read The Moonstone yet and the reasons have been for your initial misgivings. It's hard sometimes to read classics and be able to put aside their whole Victorian thing. Our attitude to other races stunk back then... but there you go.

    What I love about the two books I've read by Collins is his portrayal of women. I can't say I have a great experience with male Victorian authors to be honest, other than Dickens. I do love that he makes them strong main characters... well considering the period it is written and the fact the author is male of course.

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    1. Yes! I completely agree with you. It is absolutely true in The Woman in White, and while it's a little less so here in The Moonstone, Collins makes sure we know that Rachel is a woman who speaks her mind, and I appreciate that.

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  6. The MOOOOOOONSTONE! I'm with Fiona on Collins's portrayal of women. It's not that every lady character he writes is a winner, but I love him for inventing angry, intelligent women. It's true in The Woman in White too. You read that one, didn't you? How did you think it compared with The Moonstone?

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    1. Yes, I've read The Woman in White, too. I like the story of The Moonstone better, but Marian in The Woman in White is so awesome, and I don't think that any of the characters in this book can really hold a candle to her.

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