[SEPTEMBER Book Report] - What did you finish this month?
By bleater_bee_gold
Hey everyone, end of the month is here so it’s book report time. What all did you end up finishing this month?
Reader discussion: The Moonstone
Public reader discussion about The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.
"The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins. After reading these three sentences, I was instantly intrigued! How do you all perceive this? Any interpretations on this form of storytelling?
By trail-pale
So Collins starts things with a Prologue where the narrator basically says he’s going to set the record straight. As for the lines you quoted, I’m not sure what page they’re on, but he also does that whole “talking about writing” thing in *The Moonstone*, which was published first in 1868. In Chapter 3 he has this bit: “*The question of how I am to start the story properly I have tried to settle in two ways. First, by scratching my head, which led to nothing. Second, by consulting my daughter Penelope, which has resulted in an entirely new idea.*” Honestly, it makes me feel better that writer problems aren’t exactly brand-new.
Anyone read the Moonstone?
By notebookPencil
Can you share your thoughts—would you say it’s a mystery thriller worth reading? Thanks!
I want to reread The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins but I can't stand Miss Clack.
By Red98
I really liked Betteredge and most of the other voices, but Clack is just a total no for me. I actually stopped reading at the start because she was so off-putting. I’m into the writing style and the plot feels interesting, and the characters mostly seem pretty well developed. I was even thinking it might be one of my favorites, but there’s this one annoying character who’s barely even around and it’s honestly making me want to stop reading. How do you all deal with hard-to-like narrators?
The Moonstone: First Period Chapter Seven Discussion
By littlemirrorrapid
Kinda a short chapter, but I still had a lot of feelings about it. I’m not sure what to make of Betteredge’s whole “talking to women” thing—did Penelope actually get persuaded, or was she more just distracted? And is Rachel really convinced that Franklin’s just got one of those “odd” people in tow and then they’ll leave again? Also, Rosanna seems really off. I can’t tell if she knows something about Mr. Franklin already, or if she’s just randomly acting suspicious. Maybe it’s love-at-first-sight? That thought crossed my mind but I’m not confident. Rachel also seems pretty taken with Franklin—are they related somehow? Like cousins? I guess in that kind of upper-class world it wouldn’t be totally shocking. Then we’ve got the nighttime intruders… were the Indians involved, or are we looking at someone from the household sneaking around? Anything else I missed, or anything you think is the real clue here?
What are some pieces of literature that were hailed as masterpieces in their times, but have failed to maintain that position since then?
By envelope_tide
It feels like a lot of stuff that used to be called “instant classics” just sort of disappears later. I bring it up because when people talk about 19th-century British literature, it’s usually the same few authors—unless you’re really going deep into the period. There were surely lots of works that came out and were praised at the time, but I guess some of them just lost their shine or don’t seem important to later generations anymore.