Reader discussion: The Woman in White

Public reader discussion about The Woman in White in the WeRead Catalog by Wilkie Collins.

Question about The Woman in White

By mercy-song

I’m around 500 pages into *The Woman in White* and I’m really enjoying it, but one thing keeps throwing me off. I’m at the part where Marian, Walter, and Laura are hiding in London, trying to figure out how to stop Fosco and Percival. The annoying part is that Fosco’s plan seems airtight, and there’s no real proof—except, like… what about the message Marian wrote out in her journal after she saw them in the rain? She records the men’s whole scheming plan word for word. And then Fosco supposedly comes in and basically confirms it, like “you got it right,” signed by him. So wouldn’t that still be in her journal? Later we see Walter reads the incriminating account, so it feels like they’d have an actual written confession from the Count. Then Walter goes to the lawyer and gets hit with the whole “it’s your word against his and you sound nuts” thing. But why couldn’t Walter just point to that confession? Unless I’m forgetting something really obvious, this is making the end hard to enjoy. Anyone know what I’m missing?

Which reader or readers is best for "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins

By archBright93083

There are 13 separate books, I guess.

The Woman in White: Epoch 1 Narrative 2 Part 2

By WalletRed

I feel a bit behind, even though some people act like I’m some giant deal. Like… come on, what even is that wording? Also, I guess we’re supposed to chat in here, but don’t be a jerk about it, thanks. And does anyone else want to bring up something to talk about? Oh, and the links are totally off. I’ll fix them eventually… maybe. Or maybe not. We’ll see.

The White Review: London-based literary journal with excellent short stories, poetry, interviews & features

By valley_salpoid44

It feels kind of boring and outdated, not really anything new.

The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins (1857)

By BronzeMarket

It feels like this book sits right before Wilkie Collins really hits his stride with *The Woman in White*—which I know was a huge breakthrough for him and also one of those early top-tier sensation/mystery novels. So I’m a little curious what he was doing in between, because *The Dead Secret* is definitely entertaining and spooky, but it doesn’t show quite the same richer, twistier character work and plotting you get later. Still, it’s a fun page-turner. I like that Collins keeps circling the same stuff: law, money, sex, weird identities, and even physical disability. And the setting scratches that sensation itch too—gossip-y aristocratic nonsense along the Cornwall coast, plus this haunted kind of vibe in the North Wing. (In my head it’s basically been illustrated by Edward Gorey the whole time.) The “mysteries” themselves don’t hold up much against a careful reader. Like the maid Sarah Leeson leaving the tower the night her mistress dies, the things she swore, how she’s connected to little Rosamond, the gravestone she goes to, and that letter—the Dead Secret—she hides in the Myrtle Room. It’s all pretty easy to see coming. I remember Collins even said he wanted the story’s effect to come more from what people expect than from surprise, and that makes sense here. I wasn’t really trying to solve it so much as just watching everything slowly fall into place. Then right after that opening chaos, the story jumps forward about 15 years. Rosamond Treverton marries Mr. Frankland, who’s recently gone blind, and they’re heading back to Porthgenna (which Rosamond bought from her father before he died) because she’s going to have a baby. Except the baby comes early, so they have to stop and hire a nurse—Mrs. Jazeph—and she turns out to be hiding who she really is. She totally unsettles Rosamond, and the part that gets her is the whispery warning: “When you go to Porthgenna, keep out of the Myrtle Room!” Naturally Rosamond does the opposite and becomes determined to find it. And it’s kind of an interesting angle, how blindness becomes this moral test for the person who can still see—temptations to hide what the sight would reveal, either “for the blind person’s good” or for other reasons. Money is another big character test here too, and I have no idea if they actually pass. I’m also not sure how much of the truth comes out or whether everything gets fixed in the end.

The Woman in White, Epoch 2, Mr. Fairlie's Narrative

By novelletter

Hey everyone! I’m stepping in for u/Thermos_of_Byr and wanted to throw out some discussion stuff that’s been on my mind: 1) Do people actually know what “fanny” means in British slang? Because I really don’t want anyone picking “Team Fanny’s Secretions” as a flair. I have no idea if the mods would even forgive that. 2) Does it annoy you when younger folks use old-timey slang like “struck of a heap”? I’m not saying you could do something awful with “6-7,” but… it feels like it would. 3) What do you think is going on with Fanny and Madame Fosco, and then Marian’s letter somehow ending up as just a blank sheet? That whole thing feels weird. 4) The Count basically wants Laura to stay with him and Madame Fosco in London while she’s traveling to Limmeridge House. Like, okay, but what could possibly go wrong? 5) Anything else you’re curious about?

The Woman in White

By nebulaField

I’m in English 300 and we’re reading The Woman in White. I’d never heard of it before, so I went in a little skeptical, mostly because a lot of other books from that same general time period have kind of ruined the vibe for me. I’m more into modernist stuff, and this is a “sensation novel” from 1859, so I wasn’t sure I’d get into it. But honestly, I’m really liking it. It pokes fun at some of the whole stuffy, “be proper” traditional English attitude, and it’s also just genuinely funny without trying too hard. Even with that, it still feels like it’s got some class to it. I’m only a few chapters in and it’s already one of the best things I’ve had to read in college. Also it’s old, but it’s a Penguin Classic, so the paperback is super cheap—like totally worth the five bucks.

Another gem from the Plus catalog

By Beaver_Story9

I really love The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I’ve gone through it a few times now. It’s set in Victorian England and follows this sneaky guy who marries a young innocent woman so he can get his hands on her money. Besides the amazing Marian, who’s the innocent woman’s sister, there are some fantastic smaller characters too. I don’t see how you could not be entertained by Count Fosco, with his trained white rats and his obsession with pastries. Or Professor Pesca and his hilarious mangling of English slang. And there’s one scene in this book that still sticks with me and kind of haunts me even a year later. There are two free versions. I listened to the one read by Ian Holm and liked it.

Where are my White Oleander fans?

By mercyteacup

I read this ages ago, and I still always suggest it because most people don’t really know it as a book. They usually only know it as a movie, and they already think the movie isn’t that good. The cast is awesome, but I can’t see how you could fit that whole story into like, a two-hour run time. There’s just way too much going on, and too many details and side plots that would get cut. To me, the book is really something. The characters feel so real and not polished at all. It’s heartbreaking, but in a way that feels powerful. I especially loved Astrid—she had to grow up way faster than she should’ve. And I liked that it all ties together at the end. If you’ve read it too, do you feel the same? Or am I the only one?

The Woman in White

By crimson_carrot529566

In *The Woman in White*, Walter keeps pushing to help Laura get back what’s rightfully hers. Once he has the proof, he and Laura and Marian go back to Limmeridge, get everyone to believe Laura’s alive, and basically restore her place. One thing I can’t quite figure out though: Walter had already married Laura to show he meant well… but how was that possible before her real identity was confirmed? If he had to marry her under Anne’s name, wouldn’t that make the whole marriage kind of pointless?

Book Review: The Woman in the Window - A. J. Finn.

By shadowDuck34

Mystery/Thriller, I guess? I’m giving it 2.5/5. Anna Fox is a child psychologist living by herself in her NYC place. She’s basically stuck at home, super anxious/agoraphobic, and she’s on a ton of meds. Most days she just drinks, watches old movies, and watches what’s going on across the street. Then the Russells move in (dad, mom, and their teenage kid) and it looks like the perfect family—until one day Anna looks out the window and sees something awful, and her whole reality starts falling apart. I was really hyped to read this because it sounded like the kind of mind-bending thriller I usually like, but honestly it doesn’t feel good for a long time. For like the first 200 pages I was just bored and confused. Her present and her past keep mixing together in a way that threw me off, and I didn’t really get any actual surprises. A lot of the descriptions feel repetitive too (her house, her wine, the street, people… over and over). It also took forever to finally explain why she lives alone, and that’s basically when things start moving. Also, the author constantly drops in lines from the movies she watches, and it made reading slower and more annoying. The only reason I didn’t DNF is because the last stretch finally pulled me in. [Spoiler: she sees her neighbor get stabbed, and everyone else thinks she’s just making it up/delusional, which I also kind of assumed because of how much she drinks and the meds. But after all that, the story actually goes somewhere and ends in a way that felt decent.] I wouldn’t really recommend it to most people, especially if you like thrillers that hook you right away. If you’ve read/watched Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, it’ll feel pretty similar. It’s a fairly short read since you can skip the pointless parts, and if you’re in the mood for a lazy-ish thriller, then maybe give it a try. Otherwise, nah.

The Woman in White, Epoch 2, Eliza Michelson's Narrative, Chapter 1

By Superuser

I’m stepping in again for Thermos—I’m still owed a glass of byr. 1) How’s everyone feeling about Mrs. Michelson as the new narrator? 2) Fosco really clashes with Mr. Dawson—what do you think is driving him in that scene? 3) Laura feels completely useless here. Is anyone actually surprised? 4) And the nurse being in Fosco’s pocket… her name’s basically like a near-pun on rubella. Collins (same as Dickens) always seems to do the meaningful/punny-name thing. Does that kind of naming annoy you or do you like it? 5) Anything else we should hit?

The Woman in White

By cosmosharbor41

Is anyone else totally into The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins? I keep wanting to learn more about it, and I swear it might be my favorite gothic novel of all time… For real though, I need someone to talk about it with 😂

[Amazon eBook Deals] The Woman in White; Wilkie Collins, Otto Penzler (Introduction); (Kindle, FREE)

By curiousBookmark

This looks like one of those Fakespot Reviews Analysis bots. It claims it uses AI to spot fake reviews, fake products, and sellers that you can’t really trust. They ran an analysis on “The Woman in White” and say the Amazon rating is 4.3, with an A grade and an adjusted rating of 4.3. It also notes the analysis was done on 05-09-2020. One thing I’m not 100% sure about is that it’s judging review authenticity, not whether the book/product itself is good. They’re basically checking for real reviews that bring up issues like counterfeits, defects, or sketchy return policies—stuff fake reviews might avoid. They give an A-F trustworthiness score for the reviews (A = very trustworthy, F = super untrustworthy) and also mention seller ratings to warn you.

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

By MoonQuill2006

I had a pretty hard time getting into this one. I started it back in early February and gave up around 15% after a couple days. Then I picked it up again a couple days ago and finished it in about 3 days. I had the same issue with the different viewpoints. The book jumps between a few characters and it isn’t always obvious right away whose head you’re in. That wouldn’t bother me as much if the voices were easier to tell apart, but I kept mixing up Eliot and Miranda a bit. A lot of the time I was going off what they were thinking or doing, and since they’re twins and do a lot of the same stuff, it got confusing. Sometimes I had to wait until one of them mentioned the other before I knew who was talking. I guess that might have been on purpose, but I’m not totally sure the effect was intentional since their paths go pretty different later on. Once I got used to the style though, I ended up liking it quite a bit. The whole mystery around Miranda kept me interested, and the house becomes really important in a way that works well. If you need everything tied up neatly at the end, this probably won’t be for you. There are definitely a few things that never get fully explained, but that felt right for this story. In the end I’m glad I pushed through the beginning. If you’ve read it, I’d be curious what you thought, especially about the way Oyeyemi handled the different perspectives.

The Woman in White: Epoch 3, The Count's Narrative

By heatherkey1989

I was pretty curious to get more from Fosco, but I’m not sure it totally blew my expectations away. The book lays out how he planned everything in pretty big detail, though—was there anything actually new, or just a clearer version of what we already knew? It definitely made me think about him a bit differently, but I can’t say I’m fully sold either way. Anything else people want to focus on?

The book of disquiet. The woman in white. Rebecca. The sound & the fury. Jane Eyre. These are all books I liked, if we have a similar taste, recommend me ANYTHING!!! (Back to reading after a long time)

By listensAnchor3742

I really liked all of these. I’m kind of in it for that gothic vibe—drama, or something kind of melancholy. Lately I’ve been wanting pure fiction again to get me reading, but from what I keep seeing, a lot of the more popular modern gothics just don’t seem like my thing. I tried Mexican Gothic and couldn’t get into it; the writing felt a bit amateur to me. What I’m looking for is mainly good writing (besides whatever the actual story is), like The Woman in White—just really well done. I don’t really care if it’s straight drama or straight horror or whatever, I’m open. If you’ve read my favorites and think we might have similar taste, please recommend literally anything you’d bet on!

Pale Fire. What a rollercoaster.

By mintEpilogue

There’s this super loud amusement park right outside where I’m staying, so yeah, it’s kind of a chaos vibe. Honestly, this book felt like a wild ride. I was thrown off right away in the foreword, then I got totally caught by that 999-line poem, but the commentaries annoyed me at times. I still read it straight through, even when parts dragged and I kind of had to push myself. I’m really glad I stuck with it though, because overall it ended up being awesome. By the end, I went back to the foreword and things finally clicked—like, I finally got what K was going on about. It also made me feel like his whole obsession and mental spiral is actually real, because certain lines suddenly made sense. And then after finishing, I reread the foreword again and ended up going back to the poem too, which is honestly crazy, same energy as Kinbote. I’ve never been tricked into rereading something like this before—now I’m definitely going back. I’m also probably going to grab the physical copy since I read on Kindle, just so I can line up the commentaries with the lines properly.