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| Trade paperback, 721 pages Published 2004 (contents: 1864-66) Acquired and read September 2012 |
by Wilkie Collins
With some five (I think) characters named Allan Armadale, this isn't the world's most straightforward novel. But then, what Wilkie Collins novel is? It's a solid, middleground Collins effort: this is no The Woman in White or The Moonstone, but at least it's not Heart and Science, either. Rather, this sits comfortably alongside No Name as a compelling mystery/thriller. It's got its odd elements-- the dream, the use of marriage laws, the ending-- but Lydia Gwilt is probably second only to Count Fosco in the pantheon of Collins villains (I'm always fascinated by how the Victorians depict female villainy), and I must admit to a sympathy for poor, put-upon Ozias Midwinter.
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