"The Moonstone is a page-turner," writes Carolyn Heilbrun. "It catches one up and unfolds its amazing story through the recountings of its several narrators, all of them enticing and singular." Wilkie Collins’s spellbinding tale of romance, theft, and murder inspired a hugely popular genre–the detective mystery. Hinging on the theft of an enormous diamond originally stolen from an Indian shrine, this riveting novel features the innovative Sergeant Cuff, the hilarious house steward Gabriel Betteridge, a lovesick housemaid, and a mysterious band of Indian jugglers.
This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the definitive 1871 edition.
I tend to be slightly sceptical toward books that are considered classics, especially the ones written ages ago. I was therefore somewhat sceptical toward The Moonstone, a classic which is almost 150 years old. My scepticism was put well and truly to shame. The Moonstone is an original mystery, in every sense of the word, which is centred around a valuable diamond said to be cursed. The story is told in the form of statements written after the fact by some of the people involved in the story, recounting events as they observed them. This works extremely well. The differences in perspective adds an additional level to a story which is already great. The personality of the writers shines through in the narratives written by them, and some of the more personal observations and musings of the characters made me laugh out loud to the extent at which I got looks, on both an airplane and a train. I could go on about how great this book is, and how much I enjoyed it, but I won't. I'd just encourage you to read it. Unless you really don't like the mystery-genre, I think you'll enjoy this book. If you're lucky, you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
