Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Rachel Verinder, a young English woman, inherits a large Indian diamond on her eighteenth birthday. It is a legacy from her uncle, a corrupt British army officer who served in India. The diamond is of great religious significance as well as being extremely valuable, and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it.

Anyone interested in being a Discussion Leader for this Novel noted as "the very finest detective story ever written"...there were 31 Members who voted for this one...?

Amazon has this Classic Free as a Kindle version here is a quick link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

I have just read the prologue to the novel. This is going to be a fun read about a diamond with a curse and its three mysterious guardians.

Hm, I wonder whether this is the same diamond as the one from "All the light we cannot see"...? ;-)

I would like to lead the discussion.

That is great Nicole. Thank you for volunteering.

I think the diamond in All the Light we Cannot See was a different colour?

Rosemarie wrote: "I think the diamond in All the Light we Cannot See was a different colour?"

Yes, the Sea of Flames is blue. And both diamonds are cursed.

Nicole wrote: "Hm, I wonder whether this is the same diamond as the one from "All the light we cannot see"...? ;-)

I would like to lead the discussion."

Thank you Nicole!

Anyone else in?

Yes, I'm in. I've just read the Prologue: The Storming of Seringapatam, 1799. Seems like it's going to be good!

Yes, the prologue is certainly an attention grabber. I am definitely in as well.

Getting into Gabriel Betteredge's story. Now I'll have to add Robinson Crusoe to my to-read list.

That happens to me a lot when I am reading one book, another book is mentioned that I put on my to-read and then.....

I can collect my copy from the bookstore today - I am very much looking forward to reading the book with you.

Just got my book today! Would love to read the book with all of you as well!

The Introduction in my book says: Do not read this introduction before reading the mystery novel it introduces.
This is already getting interesting:-)

My bookstore got me a a very nice edition, it is from Oxford University Press and has a lot of explanatory notes.

I have learned the hard way that I should read the introduction after I have read the book.

Chrisie, it's great that you can join us.

Recently, I saw a portrayal of Wilkie Collins in a movie about Charles Dickens' relationship with Nelly Tierney, called THE INVISIBLE WOMEN. Ralph Fiennes directed and stars as Dickens and Tom Hollander stars as Collins. In the movie's beginning, Dickens and Collins are staging Collins' play THE FROZEN DEEP in 1857. There is an important scene in the home Collins' shares with his mistress, Caroline Graves, and her daughter Harriet.

When reading the prologue of THE MOONSTONE I wondered if I had started reading a Rider Haggard adventure by mistake, but that feeling abated when the story setting changed to England. Actually, I've never read either a Collins or Haggard novel before. Heck, I managed to avoid even knowing about Wilkie Collins' existence until I was almost 50. Either I somehow missed things, or my English lit classes and readings didn't mention Collins. None of my classic reading friends seemed to have read Collins either.

I just have to share this quote from Chapter 4: "The upshot of it was, that...had been a thief, and not being of the sort that get up Companies in the City, and rob from thousands, instead of robbing from one, the law laid hold of her, and the prison and the reformatory followed the lead of the law."

Gabriel Betteredge's narrative is very detailed about the goings-on related to the Diamond. I'm interested to see how the other narratives will differ, especially Franklin Blake's.

I'm in the first part of The Second Period and while I enjoyed Mr. Betteredge, I find the personal quirks of narrator Ms. Clack to be more tiring than entertaining. Luckily, the narration, like my local weather, will be changing soon.
Overall, Its pretty good so far, fairly entertaining and an easy read. The characters are fairly interesting and mostly likable, though you want to slap Rachel.

I am still reading Gabriel's narrative. Rachel has just received the diamond for her birthday. I am enjoying Gabriel's comments about his daughter. She doesn't miss a thing.

I'm halfway through Gabriel's narrative and I'm really loving this book, I can't believe I had never even heard of it before. I think I'll be sad when I'm done with Gabriel's section, but it will be exciting to see if the other sections really feel like they are coming from a different person.

Ellen, I hadn't heard of Collins for my first 50 years. He was rarely mentioned in English lit classes and was dismissed for most of the 20th century as a popular writer of 'sensation" novels rather than a quality literary writer of the mid 19th century. He only had a cult of fans, but that cult successfully pushed him back into the realms of well regarded "classic" authors more recently.
That happens with writers. I'm a huge Trollope fan and he was relegated to the status of a mere popular author for most of the 20th century before a revival of scholarly interest in him around 1970. So I've read on the internet.

Starting this book tonight. I'll do my best to catch up. It sounds as if I should skip the Introduction.

You can always read the introduction after you have finished the book. I am enjoying it so far, after 12 chapters.

Skip any Introduction but not the Prologue, which is part of the novel.

Poor Rosanna Spearman.
Collins is very good at creating a sinister mood when he writes about the seashore.
I am still reading Gabriel's report and find him a sympthetic character. The investigator from London doesn't miss anything. I am also annoyed with Rachel Verinder.

My dear fellow readers,
I still didn't get beyond the prologue, my mom died two weeks ago and I just couldn't concentrate on The Moonstone or any other book. We had a nice funeral, I am back at home in Frankfurt now and I think I have some peace and quiet to finally start reading The Moonstone today and catch up with you.

How do you like the book so far?

Nicole, my sincere condolences on your loss.

I am so sorry for your loss, Nicole.

In answer to your question about the book, I think it is a lot of fun. I like Gabriel, Penelope and the London detective. I am not so sure about some of the others. I really feel sorry for Roaanna.

So sorry Nicole. Hopefully, you can lose yourself in the book. After the prologue, it gets easier to read.
To answer your question, I have enjoyed the book so far and, starting at the end of the Third Narrator, I have been chuckling often. I don't believe everyone has or will have the same reaction.
I should finish tomorrow or the next day and look forward to the ultimate resolution.

Thank you all for your words of comfort. I felt, since I couldn't participate in the discussion, I should share this with you. And because we are all facing troubled times sometimes, such is life.

Thanks for your opinions on the book, I am looking forward to dive into it :-)

I lied. As with the end of most detective stories, I kept on reading longer than planned and finished today. I will save my comments until more have finished.
Please take your time Nicole, I wrote my thoughts out so i didn't forget them and can wait a month.

I like the house-steward Betteredge's practical view of life: "I think it will be cheaper (...) to marry her than to keep her." (his house keeper) :-) He makes me chuckle a lot.
And I think I should re-read Robinson Crusoe. I didn't like it in school, it was mandatory for all in 7th grade.

I wonder who wrote the prologue. And whether John Herncastle really did steal the diamond in India.

Nicole, I just took the prologue to be fact, but now I'm so glad you brought this up! I really wonder too!

Haha, I also took it as a fact :-) ...until the steward said that Franklin Blake brought the diamond into the house...

Update: False alarm, Franklin Blake got the diamond from John "the wicked Colonel" Herncastle.

And I found an endnote that says, we never know the identity of the prologue's writer.

I really like all the twists and turns of the various narratives. Just when I have my suspicions of what really happened, they are suddenly dashed by new revelations.

I'm just finished with Franklin Blake's narrative but am thinking back to Miss Clack's narrative. What was it's purpose? I suppose maybe to give the reader insight into the character of Rachel Verinder. Or maybe just to annoy the reader with her religious fervor and self-righteous thoughts. I actually thought that section was very funny.

I am reading Miss Clack's report right now. I can just imagine the faces on the members of the Verinder household, and all of the servants, when they see her coming with all her tracts. What a woman!

I'll start reading this book today, I had to wait for it at the library ☺️ I'll be reading the book in danish, so hopefully it's a god translation. From your comments, it sounds like a good book, so I'm excited to see if I can catch up.

Wilkie Collins deleted almost two pages from the conversation on the beach between Gabriel Betteredge and Mr Franklin, at the beginning of the book. This left a gap in the plot. The deleted passage is printed in my book in an endnote: Mr Franklin tells Betteredge that his father was charged with the safe keeping of the diamond and that his father asked him to carry the diamond for Miss Rachel into the country. And Mr. Franklin (junior) said that he stayed three more days in London because he needed a complete new outfit.

@Kathy Yes, the twists and turns are brilliant.

@Anne Don't worry, I am only on page 58 :-)

The more I read Miss Clack's narrative, the more I want to shake her "piety" out of her bigotted little head.

Miss Clack, the Bible basher. I found her report rather funny, "Satan among the Sofa Cushions" :-D

I think her tracts would make great firestarters. Miss Clack thought of all sorts of righteous excuses for snooping and meddling, didn't she?

Snooping, but very innocently snooping. She was assigned by god after all ;-) I thought, she is going to find the diamond while snooping through the house.

There is an endnote in my book explaining that Miss Clack was a mid-narrative invention. Betteredge clearly says that of the guests of the birthday party, "with the exception of two, you will meet none of them a second time". Those two were Murthwaite and Candy.
An unnamed committee woman attends the birthday party, one of Godfrey's admirers "a spiritually minded person with a fine show of collar bone and a pretty taste in champagne". This description does not fit the prim and proper Miss Clack, as she is identified later.
The author of the endnotes hypothesises that miss Clack was inspired by some hateful, evangelically inclined "friend", who persecuted the novelist's mother on her deathbed.

I finished the book last night. The story increased its speed and I was getting more and more curious about the whereabouts of the diamond that I kept on reading until the true course of events was revealed.

This is the first book I read for this group (I just recently joined you) and I'm glad it was with such a good and funny (yes, funny) book. Oh Miss Clack I have met "you" quite a few times in real life; you're funnier in fiction! Rachel on the other hand was so boring... I think I will join the Robinson Crusoé Cult.

I am glad you are enjoying the book, Dinou, and welcome to the group.
I am within 100 pages of the end and will definitely finish the book tonight.
I really want to know what happens!