The Woman in White

Although dated in style, it is a fascinating and intriguing read, a page-turning mystery with plot twists, multiple points of view, and unreliable narrators. I listened to this old classic with narration by the late great Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy). 

The characters are the high point, however, just staying on the right side of caricature and making the reader truly invested in the outcome. 

My long-held obsession with Victorian sensationalist fiction is probably why I write psychological thrillers.

The Woman in White has always been an inspiration and for me one of its most intriguing characters is Laura Fairlie, whose emotional frailty, like that of so many women, makes her prey to the hideous machinations of abusers who seek to control her. Unlike modern women however, she is not merely at the mercy of people, she is at the mercy of the restrictive laws of the society in which she lives.

And yet, with the help of determined friends, her extraordinary stoicism, and some… show more.

Published 200 years ago, The Woman in White is still popular today and considered a masterpiece of the mystery and suspense genre.

It was one of the first novels with a female protagonist as a detective and blazed a trail for others to follow. The book follows the story of a young art teacher who encounters a mysterious woman dressed in white on a moonlit road. This chance encounter leads to a complex web of intrigue and deception that makes the book the ultimate page-turner.

I first read it about ten years ago and it still plays on my mind.… show more.

I wanted to punch the air when I first read this book! Wilkie Collins is massively overlooked compared to Dickens (one of his closest friends), as well as infinitely better at writing believable characters, especially women. Often, his plots are far superior too. Marianne Halcombe, arguably the co-protagonist of The Woman in White (after painter Walter Hartright), and certainly the most memorable character, is no wanton – but she’s compellingly strong-willed, defying convention, social expectation, and strong opposition to protect her half-sister Laura. Marianne knows her mind, and her own worth: she’s smart, self-possessed, and physically daring too, even climbing… show more.

For readers with dark tastes, what’s not to love when Gothic horror is mixed with psychological disturbances to produce an eerie classic such as the Woman in White. Two of the greatest strengths of this book is the sister relationship between Marian and Laura—the lengths Marian would go to protect her sister from injustice. The other is the fascinating villain Count Fosco.

The Woman in White is the first book whose twist made me cry out in shock. I was a newly published writer, trying to create fresh twists when everything felt overdone, obvious, and expected, but this book’s twist crept up behind me while I was waiting for something else to happen and scared the daylights out of me! Not only did the author completely divert my attention away from what was coming, but he did it in the middle of the book! You expect a twist at the end, but throw a monkey wrench right in the middle and I’m… show more.

When you read this early English mystery novel by Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens’ best bud, you travel through time and space. You land in a strangely familiar London before venturing into rural England nearly 200 years ago. And you feel disconcertingly at home, ready to be bamboozled, fall in love, and fight for what’s right. Collins is credited with inventing the crime-mystery genre (I’m not convinced that’s true or important). The writing is mesmerizing, gorgeous. The characters are unforgettable: Walter Hartwright, the earnest, dogged hero; the beautiful, tragic Woman in White; the irresistibly monstrous Italian Count Fosco and his pet… show more.