February 2022: Wilkie Collins

In the shortest month of the year, we will be discussing one of the big Victorian authors: Wilkie Collins (1824–1889).

Considered the father of the sensation novel (a genre which later turned into the modern genres of detective novels and suspense), he also wrote stories, plays (two of them co-written with Charles Dickens).

The Woman in White and The Moonstone are his two most popular novels. Both of them (together with some of his other novel) had been adapted for theater, film and radio multiple times.

What do you plan to read this month? And if you had read him before - which is your favorite novel written by him?

Ive read both of those but my favorite is queen of hearts. In a lesser writer this great story could have been trite and silly. But its darling, and lots of fun (and this is one of those times when its ok to be a somewhat sweet story)! I'll probably reread this. Any recommendations to another of his that is similar? Oh and I just realized that we share birthdays! (January 8!) almost two hundred years apart.

what are the plays he cowrote with dickens?

>2 cindydavid4: The Frozen Deep which got a lot of editorial assistance by Dickens so is considered a collaboration. Collins reworked it into a novella later (most texts available for it are the novella, not the play).

The other one is a real collaboration: "No Thoroughfare" which was also expanded into the (short) novel No Thoroughfare by the two of them.

mmm, frozen deep would also work for our December theme. I'll check it out

>4 cindydavid4: That's what I was thinking... :)

Hi, I found the group too late for the Nevil Shute reading month, but I'm a Collins fan and hope to read a few next month. My favourite has always been Armadale, influenced no doubt by a German TV movie with a brilliant Lydia Gwilt. There's also No Name and Poor Miss Finch, The Moonstone not so much. I would like to finally tackle Jezebel's Daughter.

I expect to read No Name as it seems manageable in the time frame.

I've The Moonstone and Woman in White. Not sure what to read during February, what would folk recommend as a good third Wilkie Collins novel?

>8 john257hopper: Either No Name or Armadale would be the usual recommendations (and they both are very good novels) although I'd make a case for Poor Miss Finch actually or Heart and Science - both of them are very Collins novels but they are different from his normal oeuvre.

It really depends on what kind of a novel you want to read.

>8 john257hopper: >9 AnnieMod: Seconding Poor Miss Finch, that really was surprising.

>9 AnnieMod: and 10 - thanks for the recommendations.

The Black Robe, The Legacy of Cain and The Dead Secret were all good, with TBR being slightly better. I read them all from Project Gutenberg.

I have The Woman in White ready to be picked up from the library.

I'll be re-reading The Moonstone, which I read in the 1980s. I don't remember it at all, so it will be like a new read for me.

I started No Name this morning.

Ill be rereading the queen of hearts, cause its such a delightful story, and I could use a little delight among the more serious books Im reading this month

>16 cindydavid4: Oh, this one is unfamilar! But it's on my kobo....

I have finished Jezebel's Daughter. The limited cast means it's very predictable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, especially the competent Mrs Wagner. It's set in Frankfurt-on-the-Main, and I need to check up on a few things now.

>17 MissWatson: its a sweet book without being saccarine; its easy to guess whats going to happen, but I loved these three old men so much I didn't care!

I've finished No Name and really liked it as a novel of family tragedy, legal drama, vengeance and deception. I liked the melodrama, comedic elements and tragedy, especially the low point when Magdalen comes close to taking her own life given the dilemma of pushing forward her revenge plot. I loved some of the characters such as Captain Wragg and Mrs Wragg. Wilkie Collins is now one of my favourite 19th century novelists.

>19 john257hopper: I just read that section over the weekend. Admittedly it was written in melodramatic style, but you couldn't help feeling for Magdalen facing either a miserable existence as the wife of an idiot or the alternative of taking an overdose. I am enjoying this far more than I had anticipated. She's a bright, smart young woman who has little in the way of protection (except for that offered by Wragge) or resources.

>20 jillmwo: indeed yes, she is extremely resourceful, and that section was very moving.

I also just read the stage version of No Name. Reviewed here: https://www.librarything.com/work/27777351/summary/212611915

I read English Literature at university in Amsterdam in the 1980s and retrospectively I am baffled by the fact that Wilkie Collins wasn't part of the syllabus, and wasn't ever mentioned or recommended. I have also lifelong had a passion browsing second-hand books, but I do not recall ever seeing or inspecting a copy, nor in regular bookstores.

Last year, I read The Woman in White and The Moonstone, and just the day before yesterday, I finished Armadale.

Of these three, I liked Armadale best. The narrative structure isn't as contrived and confusing as The Woman in White, and I think it has more depth than The Moonstone. The story of Armadale is less predictable and exciting and gripping till the end. I was never once bored or distracted. I also think characterization and dialogue in Armadale is superior to the other two novels.

#23 - thanks for the recommendation, I'll make that my next Wilkie Collins novel.

>23 edwinbcn: The fourth volume in my Folio set of Collins is Armadale and I look forward to reading it!

finished my reread of Queen of hearts. Some of the stories that the brothers write for 'the queen' dragged, but they were still interesting. They did serve their purpose with a happy ending.

Want to read no name next

I have also finished The Queen of Hearts. One of the stories appears in a collection I own and can probably finish till the end of the month: The Biter Bit & Other Stories.

>27 MissWatson: so how did you like it?

>28 cindydavid4: I wish there had been more about the brothers, and the happy ending was a bit rushed. I liked it a lot.

I thought the ending was part of Griffiths panic, so the rushed part seemed ok. I agree about wanting to know more about the brothers but I think that would have detracted from the Jessicas story.

By the way, did you see dedication? Really a lovely tribute to a dear friend

>30 cindydavid4: Yes, I did, and I thought so, too.

A little late, but I finished a re-read of The Moonstone. I first read this some 35 years ago, and did not remember much at all, so it was like a new book to me. Overall I enjoyed it, although some parts seemed overly long and dragged out. Collins has a wry sense of humor, and I even laughed out loud at some lines. And the book has left me with a strange need to read Robinson Crusoe, the "bible" of faithful old servant Gabriel Betteredge.

I did finally finish Armadale, which I wasn’t able to start till almost the end of February. But then I did have the previous comments in this thread to consider when I chose a novel, and my thanks to those who recommended this one. I enjoyed it very much. Having already read The Moonstone and The Woman in White, I was glad to read more of Collins’ work.

I needed a comfort read and chose A rogue's life which was pure fun. At some point I was reminded of Harry Flashman, did Fraser resd this?