The Dark Clue

Rating:
Summary: Tedious
Review: I don't like gimmicks in general and I find them a bit of a fraud when used to mislead a potential reader about a book. Wilkie Collins is generally considered the inventor of the mystery novel and whether you agree with that or not, he was one of the exceptional writers of Victorian England. "The Moonstone", and, "The Woman In White", are just two examples of his work that remain in print in the 21st century. Author James Wilson borrows 2 characters from one of Mr. Collins's novels, and, by insinuation at the very least suggests there is more than that of Mr. Collins to be expected. Borrowing these characters was meaningless to the telling of this story, a bit of vacuous name dropping is all that it amounts to.

The tale is the writing of a biography, a book within a book. The subject is the 19th century painter J.M.W. Turner, and the author has used all 7 major biographies of the man to write his novel. I have read none of them, but I cannot imagine any of them being less enjoyable than this book, and I bet they even have pictures! My complaints in general are that the book is too long, the story presumes the reader to be obtuse, the ending is completely unsatisfying, and this book must be amongst the entries for the most obsessive use of commas. The first two sentences have 4 commas, 2 hyphens, and a parenthetical. The cadence of this book is an uncertain staccato.

I have read Mr. Wilson's other book which was non-fiction and extremely well written. I don't know if he has the ability to eventually write a great or even a good novel, but he will never get there by trying to imitate the work of another. He makes his attempt exponentially more difficult by trying to mimic the writing of an author who has endured for centuries, and he even borrows a character from the man he seeks to emulate.

As the main character in this book sinks in to depravity, the story becomes confused, unsure of what it wants to be, and who is in charge. Many authors say they create their characters and then let them lead. Allowing them to lead, and allowing them to run amok are very different.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I enjoy novels set in 19th century England and I have read Turners biography so I assumed I would find this an interesting story.While the author is a good writer and his descriptions of Turners paintings are at times breathtaking ,the book was very dark and slow moving.Eventually I lost interest in what the dark clue was and I was unable to make it to the end of the novel.Instead I took out my book of Turners paintings and spent an enjoyable afternoon admiring his work.

Rating:
Summary: The Dark Clue disappoints
Review: I read "The Dark Clue" after reading a glowing review of the book saying how true it was to the Wilkie Collins' novel it is based on. However, as well done as it is depicting that time period the ending betrays and abandons the Collins characters with its ending. I found "The Dark Clue" a bitter disappointment in its final chapters after enjoying so much all other parts of it.

Rating:
Summary: The Dark Clue
Review: I thought the book was extremely well written. James Wilson did not made the error to give his people a modern outlook on life and social problems within a Victorian period. But I was disappointed by the ending. Somehow, I got the feeling that in the last 80 pages, Turner disappeared, no real ending displayed, the scene between Marianne and James (basically a rape) sounded contrite. It is a shame really but compared to most of the same fiction, this is outstanding achievement from a literay perspective. The man can write.

Rating:
Summary: The Dark Blot
Review: Quite enjoyed this book but it is a bit longer than it needs be. Good plot and characterisation.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: Quite enjoyed this book but it is a bit longer than it needs be. Good plot and characterisation.

Rating:
Summary: The Dark Blot
Review: This is a blot on the literary landscape in general, and the fiction of Wilkie Collins in particular.

If you enjoy seeing characters you liked in previous books SLIMED, then by all means ... forge ahead.

Rating:
Summary: A Provacative Read
Review: This is a good book. You need to know that. Otherwise the relatively slow pace will deeply frustrate you and may cause you to quit reading. Don't quit. The payoff is rewarding. The answers and new questions that slowly surface are intriguing...the inner character struggles are haunting. Thank you Mr. Wilson for allowing loose ends...it's so much more enjoyable to be left with more questions than neatly wrapped overly predictable endings.