The Woman in White (Giant Thrifts),   ISBN:9780486440965

Customer Rating: 

This is the first book I have read by this author but I know it won't been the last.
A mystery, wrapped in beautiful language that will hold the reader captive to the last page.

The story starts in foggy London and weaves a tale of intrigue and mystery with richly descriptive characters.
Just when you think you have figured everything out, the trail goes cold.

If you want to get lost in a good read, then this will fulfill every expectation. I didn't want it to end.

Customer Rating: 

I read this novel in it's intended format: serially, receiving a part each day via email (from a site called [...]--they have a catalog of classic novels that you can subscribe to). It was an intriguing story, and I am glad I read it in the way I did, as each part left me wondering what was to happen next. I think the pacing was a bit uneven and the ending twist was a bit convoluted for my taste, though. But still, if you enjoy classic novels, this one was a pretty simple read compared with others of its era, and it definitely kept me in suspense almost until the end.

Customer Rating: 

All of Collin's books are great fun, well written page turners, but I think this is my favorite. The characters, the spooky story the whole package!! Collins is greatly under-rated, read The Woman in White and you'll know why.

Customer Rating: 

The Limmeridge estate undergoes some dramatic changes after its master dies. And now Miss Laura Fairlie is in a dilemma. She has promised her moribund father that she'd marry Sir Percival Glyde. This man is no dreamboat. Ambitious, ruthless and cunning, he will do just about anything to marry Laura. After all, there's a lot of money to be had in such a match. Laura must fall for him. But fate is not on his side. Enter Walter Hartright, a somewhat respectable art teacher. He falls for Laura... and that is where all of the drama unfolds. Will Sir Percival give in? Will Laura find protection from Walter, or will her sister Marian step in? Who is the woman in white who Walter encounters on his way to London? Is the chance encounter meaningless, or is she somehow related to the events that follow?

And that is all I will say about this novel. First published in 1860, The Woman in White is the proverbial Victorian novel full of forbidden romance and gothic suspense. Wilkie Collins is also something of a social commentator in this book. Oppositions to arranged marriages and the ways of its time are clear in tone and subplot. The twists and turns are done in a great manner. The ebb and flow had a bit of Dickens mixed with Emily Bronte to it that fascinated me. But I'm disappointed with the fact that this novel does not showcase the gothic elements that I had hoped to get with this. It does not deliver what it promises, and I had expected a lot with a title like The Woman in White. The author also resorted to stereotypes when describing the villains. For instance, Count Fosco is obese and unattractive and unpleasant -- the proverbial creepy villain type. There are other examples, but I won't go into them right now. Suffice to say that some of the characters fall under the caricature category. The one big exception here is Marian. I actually loved this character and how perceptive, intelligent and protective she is. There's a bit of a feminist in her that I liked. All in all, I don't love this book, but I don't hate it either. This is the first time I read a Wilkie Collins novel. I have never read Moonstone, though I've heard some wonderful things about it. I did somewhat enjoy this book, so I may pick up Moonstone in the near future.

Customer Rating: 

This is a wonderful book! If you enjoy any 19th novels or just love to read, you will enjoy "The Woman in White". The language is easy to read...it has a nice flow unlike other books written around this time. The plot is ever changing and thickening. When you read this, you may think the plot is like many other books you have read but you have to consider this is one of the first mystery books written and Wilkie Collins started a completely new genre of novels. Collins did a great job writing this book as an epistolary novel, with many people telling the story.