Der Monddiamant (1868)

Wilkie Collins was a close friend of Dickens and is best known for The Woman in White and I was given this Penguin Classics version of The Moonstone as a recommendation. And it’s a cracker! Often held up as the inspiration for ‘the detective novel’, the story is narrated by several different characters within it, all with distinct voices and a particular axe to grind. It tells of The Moonstone, a particularly large uncut diamond that is left by her uncle to 18 year old Rachel on her birthday but disappears from the family house on the same night. The story follows the origins of the diamond and its interested parties both upstairs and downstairs, as well as the shadowy Indians who are trying to claim it back for the Hindu state from whence it came. It’s romantic, clever, funny in parts, full of more ghastly characters than admirable ones, and the combination draws you in. It’s a classic for a good reason. ( )

Don't recall reading but here's what Wikipedia has to say (as of 2022): "It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre" ( )

Wilkie Collins, for those who may not be aware, was a friend of Charles Dickens and a reader may think that because of this their writing styles would be somewhat similar; this is not the case they have drastically different writing styles and because of this I thoroughly enjoy Wilkie Collins novels as much as I despise anything penned by his friend who is just too long winded and maudlin for my taste.

The storyline in this book is narrated from the perspective of each member of the unique cast of characters that the Author brings to life on his pages. They are entertaining, smart and funny, bringing out a lot of the social norms of the period in their narratives, whilst at the same time showing that things were changing much to the annoyance of one particular chauvinistic male. Because the Author is able to convince the reader that the plot is being revealed to them on a personal level, rather than them being a spectator in the unfolding mystery, the characters become ones you can love or hate as would people you meet in real life. The characters in this novel are societies ‘Gods of the Universe’; they are privileged, pampered but definitely human, a trait that is often lacking in more modern novels in this genre. There was not one character I preferred over another, as each brings their unique perspective of the world around them into the tale, and through this the reader is able to experience more of what is happening behind the main storyline.

As in most novels written in this time period, the location description are vast sweeping and very detailed; it is verbose to the extreme and a reader that is new to its pages may wonder how anything ever was accomplished in Victorian times when they used 20 words to convey something we use 4 words for today. Despite this it is still an excellent read, no matter how many times I open this book, or listen to it on audio book. It is not fast-paced by any means, and those reader that enjoy this in a mystery book may find that aspect off-putting, but regardless of whether you solve the mystery before the reveal, there is still plenty in the novel to keep you turning the pages to the very end.

I would highly recommend this as a good engrossing read for anyone who likes mystery novels, those set in the Victorian era or is curious about the book purported to be ‘the first mystery novel’. I’ve read Wilkie Collins novel the Woman in White, and will no doubt continue to revisit both of his works in the years to come.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/07/25/review-the-moonstone-wilkie-collins/




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

( )

I very much enjoyed this supposedly very first detective novel, especially because imperial England and its hegemonic enforcers fail to reinstate their version of the status quo. Also, Collins has a love for weirdos and liminal characters that is just barely suppressed by the Victorian mores that rest on the surface of his books. Not as problematic as I was afraid it was going to be, but still reflects some of the anxieties and viewpoints of its time. ( )

This 1959 LEC edition is disappointing quality-wise to previous high standards of production in that the illustrations are weak (often wrong), are not placed accurately with the relevant text which results in confusion and in at least one case spoils a major event in the text several pages early, and the printing is sloppy with lots of black spotting from over-inked pages. The story itself is a worthy classic and a mystery that holds up today, even if some of the early book bogs down with long-winded storytelling. I was expecting cliches since this is the detective fiction that started it all, but it was still fun to read proto-Holmes and other early examples of tight plotting and a fulfilling resolution. Better than most I've read. ( )