The Woman in White

I'm currently reading this novel for my A2 English Literature course... And I'm hating it.

After 5 years of focusing on feminism in literature, the most prominant theme we've always been forced to focus on, I find this novel completely devoid of any inspiration - both as a piece of literature and as a feminist statement.

Collins introduces uninspired characters who lack, well, character! The protagonist, Walter Hartwright, fails to impress - honestly, he does nothing. The most impressive thing he does in the entire novel is run away from some thugs.
The narrative mostly concerns an inheritance, with explanations about the conditions of said inheritance dragging on for pages... and pages... and pages. It doesn't stop.

As a feminist piece of literature it completely cops out on its message by the end of the story... Collins seemingly wimps out and decides to settle for an ending that can't possibly be considered controversy - clearly the profit he made from the story meant more to him than creating support for women.

I find it both offensive and ignorant to be told that I'm 'uncultured' or 'stupid' for not enjoying this novel as I happen to be very cultured for a 17 year old.

As evidence for the tediousness of the story here is a section:
'It is impossible to refer intelligibly to this document without first entering into certain particulars in relation to the bride's pecuniary affairs. I will try to make my explanation briefly and plainly, and to keep it free from professional obscurities and technicalities. The matter is of the utmost importance. I warn all readers of these lines that Miss Fairlie's inheritance is a very serious part of Miss Fairlie's story, and that Mr. Gilmore's experience, in this particular, must be their experience also, if they wish to understand the narratives which are yet to come.

Miss Fairlie's expectations, then, were of a twofold kind, comprising her possible inheritance of real property, or land, when her uncle died, and her absolute inheritance of personal property, or money, when she came of age.

Let us take the land first.

In the time of Miss Fairlie's paternal grandfather (whom we will call Mr. Fairlie, the elder) the entailed succession to the Limmeridge estate stood thus--

Mr. Fairlie, the elder, died and left three sons, Philip, Frederick, and Arthur. As eldest son, Philip succeeded to the estate, If he died without leaving a son, the property went to the second brother, Frederick; and if Frederick died also without leaving a son, the property went to the third brother, Arthur.

As events turned out, Mr. Philip Fairlie died leaving an only daughter, the Laura of this story, and the estate, in consequence, went, in course of law, to the second brother, Frederick, a single man. The third brother, Arthur, had died many years before the decease of Philip, leaving a son and a daughter. The son, at the age of eighteen, was drowned at Oxford. His death left Laura, the daughter of Mr. Philip Fairlie, presumptive heiress to the estate, with every chance of succeeding to it, in the ordinary course of nature, on her uncle Frederick's death, if the said Frederick died without leaving male issue.

Except in the event, then, of Mr. Frederick Fairlie's marrying and leaving an heir (the two very last things in the world that he was likely to do), his niece, Laura, would have the property on his death, possessing, it must be remembered, nothing more than a life-interest in it. If she died single, or died childless, the estate would revert to her cousin, Magdalen, the daughter of Mr. Arthur Fairlie. If she married, with a proper settlement--or, in other words, with the settlement I meant to make for her--the income from the estate (a good three thousand a year) would, during her lifetime, be at her own disposal. If she died before her husband, he would naturally expect to be left in the enjoyment of the income, for HIS lifetime. If she had a son, that son would be the heir, to the exclusion of her cousin Magdalen. Thus, Sir Percival's prospects in marrying Miss Fairlie (so far as his wife's expectations from real property were concerned) promised him these two advantages, on Mr. Frederick Fairlie's death: First, the use of three thousand a year (by his wife's permission, while she lived, and in his own right, on her death, if he survived her); and, secondly, the inheritance of Limmeridge for his son, if he had one.'

My favorite! I couldn't put it down as every line holds a suspense that draws me deeper into the mystery. Warm, rommantic, yet thrilling and cruel.

Very very good book. You won't leave it out of your hands!

I finished the book in no time, turning the pages, waiting to see and trying to anticipate what the next page will bring to Laura's, Marian's or Walter's adventure.

Characters are very well described, the scenes are described with all the necessary details (not too many when there's no need for them) and the plot is written in such way that makes you wonder what could happen next.

I would highly recommend this book.

The Woman in White is an excellent book and it was a privilege to read it. The writing was brilliant(masterful usage of the English language in all respects), the plot exciting, the characters well drawn out and I am envious of those who are going to read it for the first time.

I'd never heard of Wilkie Collins before I got my Kindle. In searching out free classics, I of course found a number of references to this classic mystery. I inferred from the title that the woman in white was a ghost (who knows why!) so fully expected some specter to rise out of the misty moors. Instead, I was surprised to find myself in the grip of a diabolical and tragic tale told by several different and distinct voices. While a tad overlong - why use one word when you can use six? - my thumb rarely left the Next Page button. I had no desire to 'cheat' on Walter, Laura, Marion, Anne, the Baronet and Fosco with another book, and in fact could barely put down my Kindle until I could no longer keep my eyes open in the wee hours of the night. Collins was a genius at keeping the reader guessing, which I did throughout. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Collins read my thoughts and threw me a curveball. And though the language is very old-fashioned and formal - think 19th century England - I had few troubles figuring out the odd unfamiliar phrase. Of course, it was tough not to chuckle at the quaint and genteel 'evils' that seem so commonplace today, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. If anything, it added to it. After reading - and thoroughly enjoying - The Woman in White, I can clearly understand why this classic has endured.

A note on Kindle formatting: I have seen reviews of other Kindle freebies that were badly formatted and/or edited, but that was not the case with this book. Not only were there few (if any) typos, the formatting was quite readable. The one addition I would have liked is a linked table of contents. If you find a 99 cent version that boasts such a TOC, I'd recommend buying it instead of downloading it for free as I would have like to have looked back at different characters' accounts after reading them.

This is the best book I have read todate..... The romance, suspense, and mystery. This book kept me in wanting more after every page and it was very hard to set it down to get other stuff done. I would recomend this book to any one who likes a good clean romance mystery novel.

Meh its too long it got boring after a while not great not bad... plots kinda interesting but there was too much other talk in it... could've reduced the size of it by a lot... i agree... 2 stars.

Certainly a mystery classic, although I couldn't stand the obvious stupidity of Laura long. For needing that stupidity to develop the plot, I won't give full points, but I'll certainly look at other works from the author.

This is a great novel and certainly a must-read. It is a mystery novel you can't put down, because it never is clear where the story will go next.

The story is told by the main characters, in succession, which gives an extra dimension to the book.

Not for nothing (about) six movies, two tv miniseries and a musical (by Andrew Lloyd Webber) were made after this book. Sadly the best one (with Jenny Seagrove and Diana Quick) is not available on dvd. The rest is too much abridged. So, if you want the whole story, read the book. And read it again!

I always hope discerning readers know how to ignore the reviewers like Leo who can be found all over the Internet dissing things that they aren't capable of appreciating.

This book is a classic page-turner that will keep you guessing. It is one of four exceptional novels that Collins wrote before his personal life, particularly a laudanum addiction, began to catch up with him. Anyone who enjoys a Victorian pot-boiler (not an oxymoron; they were known as "sensation fiction" novels) should read Wilkie's greatest: Woman in White, The Moonstone, Armadale, and No Name. You won't be sorry, unless you are like Leo.