The Woman in White

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is the second Wilkie Collins novel my Crime & Thrillers reading group has tackled, the first being The Moonstone, which we read almost a year ago. As much as I enjoyed both books, I find I don’t care a fig about the hero and heroine in either of them; it’s the supporting characters I find fascinating.
In this case, the beautiful, rich heroine, Laura, pales in comparison to her poorer, plain-looking half-sister, Miss Marian Halcombe, who is the one with all the spirit and brains. I spent the second half of novel praying that Walter, the hero, would come to his senses and recognize that it’s Marian he’s loved all along. Equally, the villain of the piece, the constantly irritable Sir Percival Glyde, finds himself supplanted in his villainy by the beautifully drawn, extraordinary couple, the Count and Madam Fosco. Madam Fosco is especially chilling in her lack of regard for anyone but her wily husband. When Collins invests his characters with something more than good looks and good intentions, they really come alive.
I love the fact that—no matter how darkly Gothic the subject matter—Collins always manages to inject some humour, here in the form of Laura’s effete, malingering uncle, Mr Frederick Fairlie.
So…does Walter, our hero, come to his senses in the end? You’re going to have to read it to find out, but I warn you now, it’s a very, VERY long book.
But that’s just my own humble opinion…what do you think? Do let me know! Read for the Crime & Thrillers reading group that I attend at Canada Water Library, and also for my 2015 Goodreads reading challenge.


View all my reviews