Okay, was it last week already that I mentioned I was going to read a Wilkie Collins book and I just had to decide which one? Well, I decided and have begun reading. While I could have read any Collins book I wanted to on the Kindle, I already owned two, The Moonstone and The Woman in White so those became my immediate choices. It was hard to choose and it finally came down to the weight of the book.
I picked The Woman in White because it is a fat mass market paperback. The Moonstone is a fat Barnes and Noble Classics trade edition and was a good deal heavier. I hope those of you who were rooting for The Moonstone won’t take my choice personally.
I’m reading The Woman in White on the train to and from work and during my lunch break. I am thus far enjoying it very much. Professor Pesca made me laugh out loud. And today’s description of Mrs. Vesey had me in stitches. Mrs. Vesey is amiable, calm and plump and, well, here’s what Collins says of her:
Some of us rush through life, and some of us saunter through life. Mrs. Vesey sat through life. Sat in the house, early and late; sat in the garden; sat in unexpected window seats in passages; sat (on a camp-stool) when her friends tried to take her out walking; sat before she looked at anything, before she talked of anything, before she answered Yes, or No, to the commonest question–always with the same serene smile on her lips, the same vacantly-attentive turn of the head, the same snugly-comfortable position of her hands and arms, under every possible change of domestic circumstance.
Perhaps it isn’t as funny out of context but it almost made me choke on my apple at lunch today. I do think I will love this book unless it kills me. Perhaps I should be sure to eat lunch and read near people who know how to help choking victims just to be safe.
I sometimes have that sort of reaction when I’m reading Dickens. Some little bit of description will inevitably cause giggling while eating.
Lezlie
I read this a long time ago, and I have forgotten that there were humourous bits. I think I need to read it again.
I really, heartily enjoy Collins’s characterizations. Both Moonstone and The Woman in White are full of them, I think. That’s awesome that you’re enjoying him so much!
I always forget that Wilkie Collins is funny. I’ve got The Moonstone on my wish list and hope some kind soul will get it for me for Christmas. I read The Woman in White about a gazillion years ago, so looking forward to your posts resurrecting some memories!
this is on my TBR RIP list… I hope I have time to read it before the end of October, as I have November all blocked out to FINALLY finish Anna Karenina. If not, well, it will make a wonderful Christmas read! I look forward to your reviews
I can’t help but laugh right now as I sit at the desk because I have the exact same copies of both books and ended up reading Woman in White first for the same reason you did, even though I have owned Moonstone for about a decade longer. I eventually read them both and loved them both, it will be great to hear other people’s perspectives on Woman in White.
Clearly the best way to choose between them.
That’s a wonderful description! It always takes me off guard to discover “old” books are so darn amusing. As if a sense of humor is a modern invention.
I loved The Woman in White, although the truth is I can’t remember a thing about it. Well, I guess that means I’ll have to read it again at some point, and that’s not a bad thing. I hope you continue to enjoy the book — safely!
I love this and The Moonstone, one reason being their humour. Gabriel Betteridge and Miss Clack from the latter are hilarious and definitely worth getting acquainted with!
I just blogged about this book. My first time with Wilkie Collins and I loved it.
That sounds exactly like Collins to me. After rereading The Moonstone recently, I decided it was time to reread this one, too, but I really ought to read stuff of his I haven’t read, no?
I checked out a copy of The Woman in White last week but I haven’t started it yet. So many book bloggers seem to love it that I decided to get over being intimidated by the book and hopefully I’ll enjoy it too. I didn’t expect it to be funny, though!
I read that one recently, and his descriptions of the more minor characters were great. I loved Frederick Fairlie. Oh, what hoot that guy was. Count Fosco, when you meet him, is larger than life.
I am so glad you started this one! Isn’t it great? I finally finished last week although I still need to blog about it. Frederick was the one that had me laughing at times. What an eccentric!
Everyone who reads this book totally understands why the following was put on Wilkie Collin’s tombstone: “Here lies the man who wrote The Woman in White.”