My Thoughts on "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins as published by Barnes and Noble Classics (shown). 23 December 2023.

I started reading "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins on December 4th and finished it on December 23rd. I averaged reading 36 pages per day (on days that I read). This is not the only classic of Wilkie Collins that I have read. In fact, in my favorites of all time is one by this author: "The Moonstone."

The Woman in White is about an unfortunate little girl who repeated something her mother said about someone which she did not know the significance of it. That little girl's error was felt by another girl who looked just like her in later years. There was a mystery to unfold as to what the purpose of dealing with the woman in white and clearing up the mystery so the innocent look-a-like girl could live happily. An ordinary teacher of art is the one who makes it his life mission to solve the mystery when the legal system is unable to do so. That quest pits him up against some powerful and some dangerous people who are more skilled at deception and conniving than he is. I think that says what the book is about generally speaking without spoiling anything.

The book as far as the mystery, however, as I went along was pretty predictable. I wrote a couple of predictions as I went along and things that were foreshaddowed and they fell in line with what really happened. There were some divergences in the manner or whatnot but the predictions I made were in line with ultimately how things happened. So I guess that predictability keeps this one out of the favorites of all time for me. The Moonstone was better in that regard than this one; and was just more exciting of an adventure to me compared to this one. And it has been a while since I read The Moonstone.

I did like the characters in this book. I drew the Count Fosco. He was a colorful character in the book. I did not draw him nearly as big as I should have. And I skipped the two canaries that he also kept about him. If you ever go to the Zoological Gardens in London, you should keep a look out for his Cockatoo and his Canaries! They surely are still there! It is always good for books to have at least one character who has some strange characteristic either in their person or in their personality. I guess that the main character in "Humboldt's Gift" would have called such a character "a contrast-gainer." The other characters were good as well from the hot-headed Percival, the tomboyish aunt Marion, and tiny little italian devoted wholeheartedly to Walter (the art teacher).

The unique thing about this novel was, according to the author in his preface to it, was the manner in which it was told. Instead of having a narrator all the way through simply telling the story; it is told by a narrator piecing together what various participants / witnesses as to the details of the mystery surrounding this Woman in White and how she affected both the narrator and her look-a-like could say from what they knew, observed or participated in. I liked that aspect of the way the book was presented: and it varried too in terms of narratives, diaries, letters. Anyone who knows me knows I do not generally like stories that are told by way of repeated letters (although one exception in my favorites of all time: Dangerous Liasons was told that way). And Diaries and Operas! Oh my, if you read classic literature, those things always are involved with bad things happening, aren't they?! I digress. It must be very difficult to weave the different tellers of the story together to make it flow nicely and that was done very well here. Perhaps that's why I do not like the letter or diary entry type of story telling too much: because it really hinders the flow. It's all about the flow! hahaha . . .

Anyway, the book is 617 pages or so. Page one does NOT start on Page One! How typical! It was a very very good read and I would certainly recommend it; not in my favorites of all time given the reason stated but still was very enjoyable; even if my rendition of Count Fosco is somewhat off the mark. I still like it though!


my sketch of Count Fosco in "The Woman in White" a big fat man who loves to have his pet rats, canaries and cockatoo about him. 10Dec2023.