There are three things that I especially love in literature: epistolary writing, Victorian setting, and a gripping mystery. The Woman in White provides one with all of these things, and it does it quite well. Wilkie Collins gets you so sucked in to wanting to know the secrets and what's going to happen, that I could hardly put it down. I can see why (as the back cover states) it has "never been out of print."

The story centers around Walter Hartright and Marian Halcombe, who are vying to protect the innocence of Marian's sister Laura from her groom-to-be: the menacing Sir Percival Glyde and his (pretty slimy) friend/conspirator, Count Fosco. But for the majority of the novel, the biggest mystery surrounds the enigmatic Anne Catherick. She is connected to both Laura and Percival, and bears a dark, condemning secret about the latter. Laura needs all the protection she can get – because Sir Percival and Count Fosco both have sinister, ulterior motives for her marriage.

Overall, I found the story to be very compelling, and I had a blast reading it. However, there were a few things that bothered me, and also made me chuckle a bit. First of all, the story definitely does drag on in parts. Whether it was a character going off on a tirade about their good morals, their reasoning behind actions, or just generally being flowery. But I would attribute it to satirical purposes and the period it was written in. The other few things that bothered me, begin with the really obvious, satirical-to-the-point-of-insulting descriptions and characterizations of foreigners. Of course I had no problem with Count Fosco being described in this manner because he was a disgusting creep through the whole story anyways. But, with other characters, it just seemed unnecessary! And, most of all, the way Collins depicts women in his writing. I wasn't sure, however, if it was meant to satirize the mindset that existed about women in those days, with the contrast of Marian just generally being awesome. But, if he wasn't satirizing it, clearly to him, all of womankind are frail creatures, prone to fainting... and the more they faint, the more likely it is they are crazy! And therefore it will be totally legit to throw them into an insane asylum.

Now, don't mistake my mini-rant for dislike of the novel, I really did love it. I actually find reading about these old-age mindsets to be somewhat hilarious and quite a kick, because it is so ridiculous and we know how untrue it is these days. His depiction of Marian quite made up for the frailty of the other female characters, (whether it was meant for satire or not), and the multi-layered mystery topples over any character-flaws and make it a worthwhile read. I would recommend it to fans of mysteries, especially those who loved reading the Sherlock Holmes stories. ( )

I really don't know what to rate this book. It had its strengths and weaknesses. ( )

An early example of the detective novel, Wilkie Collins' The Woman In White is long, complex, exquisitely written; a delicious read. This tale of conspiracy, madness, villainy, and mistaken identity is told from the perspectives of a number of the principal actors, a diversity of voices that heightens the novel's variety and appeal.

Collins creates numerous intriguing characters, most of whose voices we hear during the unfolding of the intricate plot. Drawing-master Walter Hartright, one of the prime movers in the book, is the least interesting. He is...well, not dull...but regular. But he is the main character who drives the resolution of the mystery, and as events unfold and circumstances become more dire, he evinces a dogged determination, a fierce loyalty and tenacity.

My favorite characters, beautifully rendered by Collins, are hypochondriac Mr. Fairlie; corpulent Italian Count Fosco with his air of pompous superiority and his cage of little white mice; and the stalwart, dutiful, Marian with her acute intellect and her deep sisterly devotion.

There is one section of The Woman In White that was a bit of a drag: In a long interview between Hartright and a lawyer, novelist Collins seems to be writing himself out of some cul-de-sacs into which his plot has steered him. This section serves to clarify some matters, but also, probably inadvertently, to point out that the conspiracy plot was unnecessarily convoluted and could've been handled in a more straightforward fashion. But then, near the end of the novel, one of the villains explains why he handled things the way he did, following his ethical code, and for me at least that was a gratifying and sufficient explanation.

As expected, this novel from 1860 contains a lot of letters, a lot of conversations, and for the most part they are fascinating. There are a number of active scenes as well, my favorite being a hot one in a church and its adjacent graveyard. There's spies and an asylum, and a somewhat ghostly meeting at a crossroads. The Woman In White is filled with delectable material, an engaging and satisfying reading experience. ( )

I confess I like Count Fosco; he reminds me of Sydney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. This is not to say that I approve of his actions. He is also the only who truly appreciates Marian Halcombe; the hero, after admiring her figure from a distance, says to himself "(with a sense of surprise which words fail me to express), The lady is ugly!" (p. 23)
This isn't the only book of Victorian times in which England is such a small world that we shouldn't be surprised that so many characters happen to meet each other by chance. ( )

The end is a bit drawn out, but all the loose ends are tied up and resolved. Quite the tale of intrigue and identity, with a number of references to the place of women in that society -- I suspect the author was a bit of a feminist in his time. Marian Halcombe is a very strong female character, even by today's standards! Collins was a contemporary of Dickens, and while this story has the saga-aspect like a Dickens book, it does not really have the long drawn out descriptions or rambling sentences of Dickens. For something written over a hundred years ago, it is actually very read-able. Just be careful you don't read too fast, or you will miss the subtleties implied in passages that are very period-typical.

It's a long read, but good.

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