Rating: 
Summary: One of the Greatest Victorian Novels by Storytelling Master
Review: First published in 1868, Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone" has been never out of print. This fact testifies the popularity of the book, but somehow because of the famous comment by TS Eliot, "The Moonstone" is likely to be regarded as 'detective fiction.' The fact is slightly different, and you have to keep that in mind before you read it.The story is absolutely the classic style of "Who-Done-It." The Moonstone, a sacred Hindo stone is stolen from India, and makes its way to the peaceful Yorkshire countryhouse where the rich daughter Rachel Verinder lives with her mother. On her birthday night, however, immediately after the stone is presented to the young lady, it vanishes without a trace. So, who stole it? Or is it just 'missing,' as the inimitable London detective Sgt. Cuff thinks? The story sounds like Agatha Christie (who, like Collins, wrote stories about the British middle-class), but if you are looking for some ingenious 'trick' or something, you will be disapponited. The story is written BEFORE Sherlock Holmes is born, and though the basic elements of detective stories can be found here, Collins does not use them as you might expect the later writers like Conan Doyle do. I cannot reveal much, but I can tell you that the whereabout of the stone is not necessarily the primary concern of the novel. The most strikingly original aspect of the novel is its characters. Remember, "The Moonstone" is primarily a Victorian novel, and Wilkie Collins is one of the best friends of Charles Dickens, who wrote "Great Expectations" which attacks the idea of 'gentleman.' The story is told by many characters themselves, and they unwittingly reveal the hidden side of their personalities in the narrative. The best case is the statement of Miss Clack, whose too religious attitudes conceal her surpressed curiosity (and perhaps love) for handsome philanthropist Godfrey Ablewhite. Clack's narrative, always amusing and in a sense grotesque, is one of the greatest among the 19th English novels. About the mystery of the novel ... well, there are lots of them in there, but they are rather about how and why these colorful characters did certain things or didn't. Rachel Verinder, independent and strong-willed (Collins loved this type of females), certainly knows something about the missing stone, but she never talks about it. The housemaid Rosanna Spearman knows something about the 'smear' of the paint (one of the crucial points of the story), but she never talks about it ... until the time you know the reason. The 'mystery' is about these people, rather than about the Moonstone. {ABOUT THE BROADVIEW EDITION by STEVE FARMER} Broadview's edition of "The Moonstone" comes in handy for academic use, so let me record the details of the book. It has Mr. Farmer's informative introduction that follows the modern critical readings of the book. Plus, you see the novel's contemporary reviews, and the play version of "The Moonstone" (which Collins himself made for the stage) and even the reviews of that play. You also get the excerpts of the letters concerning the novel and the play, and the brief newspaper accounts of the real-life cases of Constance Kent and Northumberland Street (both of which became part of the story). The long (and well-chosen) list of select bibliography is included. You may not find the same thrill as you have in Doyle or Christie, but "The Moonstone" is still a good example of great storytelling. Read it like you read Dickens, another great storyteller. "The Moonstone" is made a TV show starring Greg Wise in UK in the late 1990s. This version is also great, keeping the atmosphere of the original novel intact. Find the video and see it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Victorian Novels by Storytelling Master
Review: First published in 1868, Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone" has been never out of print. This fact testifies the popularity of the book, but somehow because of the famous comment by TS Eliot, "The Moonstone" is likely to be regarded as 'detective fiction.' The fact is slightly different, and you have to keep that in mind before you read it. The story is absolutely the classic style of "Who-Done-It." The Moonstone, a sacred Hindo stone is stolen from India, and makes its way to the peaceful Yorkshire countryhouse where the rich daughter Rachel Verinder lives with her mother. On her birthday night, however, immediately after the stone is presented to the young lady, it vanishes without a trace. So, who stole it? Or is it just 'missing,' as the inimitable London detective Sgt. Cuff thinks? The story sounds like Agatha Christie (who, like Collins, wrote stories about the British middle-class), but if you are looking for some ingenious 'trick' or something, you will be disapponited. The story is written BEFORE Sherlock Holmes is born, and though the basic elements of detective stories can be found here, Collins does not use them as you might expect the later writers like Conan Doyle do. I cannot reveal much, but I can tell you that the whereabout of the stone is not necessarily the primary concern of the novel. The most strikingly original aspect of the novel is its characters. Remember, "The Moonstone" is primarily a Victorian novel, and Wilkie Collins is one of the best friends of Charles Dickens, who wrote "Great Expectations" which attacks the idea of 'gentleman.' The story is told by many characters themselves, and they unwittingly reveal the hidden side of their personalities in the narrative. The best case is the statement of Miss Clack, whose too religious attitudes conceal her surpressed curiosity (and perhaps love) for handsome philanthropist Godfrey Ablewhite. Clack's narrative, always amusing and in a sense grotesque, is one of the greatest among the 19th English novels. About the mystery of the novel ... well, there are lots of them in there, but they are rather about how and why these colorful characters did certain things or didn't. Rachel Verinder, independent and strong-willed (Collins loved this type of females), certainly knows something about the missing stone, but she never talks about it. The housemaid Rosanna Spearman knows something about the 'smear' of the paint (one of the crucial points of the story), but she never talks about it ... until the time you know the reason. The 'mystery' is about these people, rather than about the Moonstone. {ABOUT THE BROADVIEW EDITION by STEVE FARMER} Broadview's edition of "The Moonstone" comes in handy for academic use, so let me record the details of the book. It has Mr. Farmer's informative introduction that follows the modern critical readings of the book. Plus, you see the novel's contemporary reviews, and the play version of "The Moonstone" (which Collins himself made for the stage) and even the reviews of that play. You also get the excerpts of the letters concerning the novel and the play, and the brief newspaper accounts of the real-life cases of Constance Kent and Northumberland Street (both of which became part of the story). The long (and well-chosen) list of select bibliography is included. You may not find the same thrill as you have in Doyle or Christie, but "The Moonstone" is still a good example of great storytelling. Read it like you read Dickens, another great storyteller. "The Moonstone" is made a TV show starring Greg Wise in UK in the late 1990s. This version is also great, keeping the atmosphere of the original novel intact. Find the video and see it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Victorian Novels by Storytelling Master
Review: First published in 1868, Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone" has been never out of print. This fact testifies the popularity of the book, but somehow because of the famous comment by TS Eliot, "The Moonstone" is likely to be regarded as 'detective fiction.' The fact is slightly different, and you have to keep that in mind before you read it. The story is absolutely the classic style of "Who-Done-It." The Moonstone, a sacred Hindo stone is stolen from India, and makes its way to the peaceful Yorkshire countryhouse where the rich daughter Rachel Verinder lives with her mother. On her birthday night, however, immediately after the stone is presented to the young lady, it vanishes without a trace. So, who stole it? Or is it just 'missing,' as the inimitable London detective Sgt. Cuff thinks? The story sounds like Agatha Christie (who, like Collins, wrote stories about the British middle-class), but if you are looking for some ingenious 'trick' or something, you will be disapponited. The story is written BEFORE Sherlock Holmes is born, and though the basic elements of detective stories can be found here, Collins does not use them as you might expect the later writers like Conan Doyle do. I cannot reveal much, but I can tell you that the whereabout of the stone is not necessarily the primary concern of the novel. The most strikingly original aspect of the novel is its characters. Remember, "The Moonstone" is primarily a Victorian novel, and Wilkie Collins is one of the best friends of Charles Dickens, who wrote "Great Expectations" which attacks the idea of 'gentleman.' The story is told by many characters themselves, and they unwittingly reveal the hidden side of their personalities in the narrative. The best case is the statement of Miss Clack, whose too religious attitudes conceal her surpressed curiosity (and perhaps love) for handsome philanthropist Godfrey Ablewhite. Clack's narrative, always amusing and in a sense grotesque, is one of the greatest among the 19th English novels. About the mystery of the novel ... well, there are lots of them in there, but they are rather about how and why these colorful characters did certain things or didn't. Rachel Verinder, independent and strong-willed (Collins loved this type of females), certainly knows something about the missing stone, but she never talks about it. The housemaid Rosanna Spearman knows something about the 'smear' of the paint (one of the crucial points of the story), but she never talks about it ... until the time you know the reason. The 'mystery' is about these people, rather than about the Moonstone. {ABOUT THE BROADVIEW EDITION by STEVE FARMER} Broadview's edition of "The Moonstone" comes in handy for academic use, so let me record the details of the book. It has Mr. Farmer's informative introduction that follows the modern critical readings of the book. Plus, you see the novel's contemporary reviews, and the play version of "The Moonstone" (which Collins himself made for the stage) and even the reviews of that play. You also get the excerpts of the letters concerning the novel and the play, and the brief newspaper accounts of the real-life cases of Constance Kent and Northumberland Street (both of which became part of the story). The long (and well-chosen) list of select bibliography is included. You may not find the same thrill as you have in Doyle or Christie, but "The Moonstone" is still a good example of great storytelling. Read it like you read Dickens, another great storyteller. "The Moonstone" is made a TV show starring Greg Wise in UK in the late 1990s. This version is also great, keeping the atmosphere of the original novel intact. Find the video and see it.
Rating: 
Summary: The First and Only Detective Novel
Review: I am not usually a big fan of detective novels. I find that the Sherlock Holmes stories, while entertaining, do not give the reader enough of a hint as to what is going on. The Moonstone on the other hand, on which the Sherlock Holmes stories are based, is entertaining to the end, and the reader is let in on what is happening most of the time. When this is not the case, the mystery just gets better. Towards the middle the book does get slow, but that is made up for by the excelent beginning and finish. The language also tends to get a bit tedious, but the captivating storyline makes up for it all. It is a smart, and at times very funny detective novel that I am very happy to have read
Rating: 
Summary: Lost me at the end
Review: I enjoyed this book for about the first two-thirds and then it became remarkably tedious. For the last third I really just wanted it to be over. Some of the characters are fantastic and funny and interesting and some are just plain dull. I think "The Woman in White" is a much better book and would recommend it over this long-winded mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Like Dickens? Conan Doyle? Try Collins!
Review: I first learned of Wilkie Collins while studying the life of Charles Dickens, with whom Collins had an up-and-down friendship. For those who've struggled through a heavily-footnoted Dickens epic, you'll be pleased to know Collins' writing is much more "modern" and accessible. Reading "The Moonstone" today, it's hard to believe the novel caused an uproar when it first appeared. It seems quaint and harmless. But Collins' Victorian audience was thrilled with his depiction of dark doings at the House of Verinder, and his gentle (by today's standards) satirizing of Victorian mores and manners. The novel is organized as a series of "narratives"; my favorite is that of Gabriel Betteredge, faithful servant of Lady Verinder. Betteredge is simply delightful, full of gentle humor and insight. Here, Betteredge is relating his early days with Lady Verinder and her husband, Sir John: "Well, there I was in clover, you will say. Placed in a position of trust and honour, with a little cottage of my own to live in, with my rounds on the estate to occupy me in the morning, and my accounts in the afternoon, and my pipe and my Robinson Crusoe in the evening - what more could I possibly want to make me happy? Remember what Adam wanted when he was alone in the Garden of Eden; and if you don't blame it in Adam, don't blame it in me." So yes, Betteredge gets himself a wife. He's just one of many vividly-drawn characters in the novel. And while the plot moves along with appropriate twists and turns, it's the quirky characters who provide the most satisfaction. "The Moonstone" works on many levels and always leaves me happy to have fallen under its spell.
Rating:
Summary: One of my Top Ten.
Review: I first read The Moonstone when I was out of college. Since then, I have read it over and over. It is brilliantly conceived and keeps you guessing to the very end. Recommend it to your friends.
Rating: 
Summary: the worst book in the world
Review: I had to read this for an English class and found it to be the most boring thing I have ever written. The author babbles endlessly about inane subjects; the plot is boring and the ending disapointing. The entertainment value is non existent and there is nothing in this so called "classic" even remotely interesting. I beg of you, spare yourself and get another book.
Rating:
Summary: fabulous
Review: I have to say that I'm not usually one for detective stories. I didn't know this was one, I just bought it because it was in English and it was cheap. I wasn't able to detect whodunnit. Usually it becomes fairly obvious. I did suspect the criminal, as I suspected everyone else in turn. And it was so superbly written, I had it read in one night. You don't have to be a fan of detective novels to read this. I highly recommend it and I hope to find some more of Collins' works in Germany. Otherwise I will buy some when I go home at Christmas
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and entertaining
Review: I just finished reading this book for the first time, and found it engrossing and entertaining. The characters are good company, without exception, and their voices are varied and well-drawn. I can see why it was such a smash hit when first serialized. With all respect to him, I'd caution other readers regarding Mr. Hilgers's review, which is littered with factual errors. One of the most egregious is his claim that Sergeant Cuff is "an obvious copy" of Sherlock Holmes--the latter did not appear in print until almost 20 years after "The Moonstone" was published.
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