The Moonstone (Dover Thrift Editions)

The Moonstone (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone (Dover Thrift Editions)
List Price: $4.50
Our Price: $2.50
You Save: $2.00 (44%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Wilkie Collins
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-29
ISBN: 0486424510
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Dover Publications

Book Reviews of The Moonstone (Dover Thrift Editions)

Book Review: "Whatever happens in a house, robbery or murder, it doesn't matter, you must have your breakfast."
Summary: 4 Stars

From the outset, Wilkie Collins's 1868 "sensation novel" keeps the reader entertained and engaged as a priceless yellow diamond, stolen from a Hindu religious statue of the Moon God in India in 1799, works its black magic and controls the action. Rachel Verinder, heir of Colonel John Herncastle, who murdered to obtain the jewel during the battle of Seringapatam, inherits this possibly cursed treasure on her eighteenth birthday in 1848, only to have it vanish before she can put it into the bank. Drawing on sensational details--three Indian "jugglers" who approach the house to perform a juggling act, the disappearance of the jewel from an Indian cabinet during the night, the certainty that the theft was an inside job, a housemaid with a criminal past, and a paint smudge on night clothing--Collins creates a haunting atmosphere and builds suspense.

Telling the story is Gabriel Betteredge, the house steward, a man who has been asked to set down his recollections by Franklin Blake, who was present in the house at the time of the jewel's disappearance, and who is in love with Rachel Verinder. Betteredge is a delightful story-teller, providing details, humor, and suggestions about what happened with a conscientiousness that makes him a reliable narrator. As the story becomes more involved and the characters take on lives of their own, other narrators take up the story where Betteredge leaves off and provide new information.

The second narrator, Miss Drusilla Clack, Rachel Verinder's cousin, is a "poor relation" who is also a religious fanatic, and her commentary and her behavior provide some of the funniest moments in Victorian literature. Collins's use of humor, in fact, is one of the ways in which he surpasses his friend, Charles Dickens, in keeping an audience entertained. Franklin Blake, rejected by Rachel, provides additional commentary about the events, as do a doctor and his assistant, a local police sergeant and his investigator, the family lawyer, and a traveler to India. The use of multiple points of view is one of the great advances Collins makes in the history of the novel. The fact that this is widely regarded as the first of the great mystery novels (though not dependent on a single detective) is another plus.

Overall, the novel is surprisingly modern in its ability to appeal to a wide audience. Collins is adept at manipulating his readership and in keeping suspense high. His characters are often engaging and frequently humorous, and in its ability to deal with social issues of the day, the novel provides pertinent commentary about colonialism, religious fanaticism, and class issues. Collins never forgets, however, that he is writing to entertain, and in this he succeeds admirably. n Mary Whipple

The Woman in White (musical tie-in) (Penguin Summer Classics)

Summary of The Moonstone (Dover Thrift Editions)

Stolen from the forehead of a Hindu idol, the dazzling gem known as "The Moonstone" resurfaces at a birthday party in an English country home ? with an enigmatic trio of watchful Brahmins hot on its trail. Laced with superstitions, suspicion, humor, and romance, this 1868 mystery draws readers into a compelling tale with numerous twists and turns.

Children's Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Children's Books
Looking for Bobowicz: A Hoboken Chicken Story ImageLooking for Bobowicz: A Hoboken Chicken Story
by Daniel Pinkwater
HarperCollins; Published: 2004-06-01; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops: $16.89
The Magician's Nephew, Color Gift Edition (Narnia) ImageThe Magician's Nephew, Color Gift Edition (Narnia)
by C. S. Lewis
HarperCollins Narnia; Published: 2003-10-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.39
Price in other shops: $19.99
My Book About Me (Beginner Books) ImageMy Book About Me (Beginner Books)
by Dr Seuss
Harpercollins; Published: 1983-03-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.39
Call of the Wild (Hrw Classics Library) ImageCall of the Wild (Hrw Classics Library)
by Jack London
Holt Rinehart and Winston; Published: 1997-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.32
Price in other shops: $17.00
Apple Valley Year ImageApple Valley Year
by Ann Turner
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1993-09-30; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Tales of Olga da Polga ImageThe Tales of Olga da Polga
by Michael Bond
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1989-04-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $83.57
The Complete Chronicles of Narnia ImageThe Complete Chronicles of Narnia
by C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis
HarperCollins Children's Books; Published: 2006-11; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops: $165.00
How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? ImageHow Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?
by Jane Yolen
Harpercollins Childs; Published: 2004-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.13
Oh, The Places You'll Go! ImageOh, The Places You'll Go!
by Dr Seuss
HARPER COLL CHILDREN; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Lorax ImageLorax
by Dr Seuss
HARPER COLL CHILDREN; Published: 2004; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
The Woman in White (Arcturus Paperback Classics) ImageThe Woman in White (Arcturus Paperback Classics)
by Wilkie Collins
Arcturus; Published: 2011-06-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.21
Price in other shops: $5.99
JANE EYRE ImageJANE EYRE
by Charlotte Bronte
Wilder Publications; Published: 2009-03-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.54
Price in other shops: $2.99
Wuthering Heights (Dover Thrift Editions) ImageWuthering Heights (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Emily Brontė
Dover Publications; Dover Publications; Published: 1996-09-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.71
Price in other shops: $3.50
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics) ImageTess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)
by Thomas Hardy
Addison Wesley; Published: 2009-12-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.69
Price in other shops: $7.00
North and South (Oxford World's Classics) ImageNorth and South (Oxford World's Classics)
by Elizabeth Gaskell
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2008-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.86
Price in other shops: $10.95
The Woman in White (Penguin Classics) ImageThe Woman in White (Penguin Classics)
by Wilkie Collins
Penguin Group USA; Penguin Classics Hardcover; Published: 2010-09-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.35
Price in other shops: $20.00
Dracula (Dover Thrift Editions) ImageDracula (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Bram Stoker
Dover Publications; Dover Publications; Published: 2000-04-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.67
Price in other shops: $3.50
Lady Audley's Secret (Oxford World's Classics) ImageLady Audley's Secret (Oxford World's Classics)
by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-08-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.12
Price in other shops: $10.95
The Woman in White (Oxford World's Classics) ImageThe Woman in White (Oxford World's Classics)
by Wilkie Collins
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2008-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.92
Price in other shops: $8.95