Let's Talk About Wilkie Collins

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#Victober
In which I talk about Wilkie Collins . . .
Books Mentioned
The Two Destinies: / 1057796.the_two_destinies
Basil: / 835459.basil
Hide and Seek: / 158984.hide_and_seek
The Frozen Deep: / 1009218.the_frozen_deep
No Name: / 45205.no_name
The Law and the Lady: / 194649.the_law_and_the...
Plotting Disability in the Nineteenth Century Novel, Clare Walker Gore: / 51645491
Poor Miss Finch: / 1293687.poor_miss_finch
The Woman in White: / 5890.the_woman_in_white
Armadale: / 777108.armadale
The Moonstone: / 6138.the_moonstone
My Debut Novel
My debut novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, is coming out in early 2023.
Pre-order from Waterstones (UK): www.waterstones.com/book/the-...
Pre-order from Bookshop.org (UK): uk.bookshop.org/books/the-sec...
Pre-order from Amazon (UK): www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Hart...
Pre-order (US): bit.ly/HartwoodHallUS
Pre-order (Canada): bit.ly/HartwoodHallCAN
Goodreads: / the-secrets-of-hartwoo...
General Links
My website: www.katielumsden.co.uk
Twitter: / katiejlumsden
Instragram: / katiejlumsden
Tiktok: / katiejlumsden
Facebook: / justbooksandthings
Goodreads: / katie-lumsden
NaNoWriMo: nanowrimo.org/participants/kat...
Email: katie.booksandthings@gmail.com

Опубликовано:

15 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 93

@ErinDarlyn Год назад

“Most of the drama in this novel could be avoided by, like, one conversation.” - Exactly how I feel about most modern novels and all Hallmark movies. 😂

@annable883 10 месяцев назад

Wilkie Collins is a genius - all his novels are superb. I have read 12 novels + all short stories & novellas. his Woman in White + No Name highlight the hypocrisy in Victorian times + the role of women in that time. He is one of my very favourite 19th century writers.

@norfolkreads Год назад

I've just read my first Wilkie Collins this Victober :) The Woman in White - absolutely loved it! Can't wait to read another

@MothGirl007 Год назад

I just discovered him too and I can't wait to read all of his books!

@zyssica 6 месяцев назад

Me too! Friend of mine introduced me to him and I was like, why haven’t people been talking about him all this time? 😂 You’ve probably already read since it’s been a year since this comment - but his best work is Moonstone!

@miriamelizabethreads Год назад

I just finished Poor Miss Finch and adored it!! I've also read The Woman in White and love it too... So many more to read!

@zero-wy6gs Год назад

The Haunted Hotel is a good one as well

@TooFondofBooksJH Год назад

Wilkie Collins is my favourite Victorian author. I have read The Woman in White; The Moonstone; The Legacy of Cain; and The Dead Secret. I have also read a number of his short stories. I am currently halfway through Poor Miss Finch. I first read The Woman in White probably 20 years ago and I love it! I have re-read it (and the Moonstone) multiple times.

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Good to know - I'll bump The Legacy of Cain and The Dead Secret up my list :)

@TooFondofBooksJH Год назад

@@katiejlumsden The Dead Secret is good but not great. The Legacy of Cain addresses an interesting question. I liked it.

@MothGirl007 Год назад

I love that he and Charles Dickens were such close friends, and I found their relationship super endearing.

@BookishTexan Год назад

I am really enjoying _The Moonstone_ and look forward to reading more Collins in the future. This video will definitely come in handy for planning which of his novels to read next year.

@linn1414 Год назад

I’m reading the moonstone now as my first Collins book. I’m about halfway and I really enjoy it. I loved Betteredge and his dynamic with Cuff, how he’s fiercely loyal to the family but ends up helping cuff and gets conflicted when suspicions turns ways he doesn’t like 😛 I’m now reading miss Clacks narrative and how she judges everyone except mr. Godfrey is so funny 😆

@katiejlumsden Год назад

I do love Betteredge so much! Glad you're enjoying it :)

@francescagu5152 Год назад

Thank you so much for your video Katie! I’ve read just a couple of novels by Collins so far but I’d like to read more and delve into his narrative. I found the characterisation of Dexter in The Law and the Lady very intriguing so I’ll follow your piece of advice and give a look at ‘Plotting Disability’. ☺️

@josmith5992 Год назад

Thanks for doing this Katie, I was just about to see if you had a Wilkie Collins recommendation video because so many people seem to be like you when they’ve read multiple Collins, love same, meh on others so I didn’t know where to go after loving The Woman in White and a The Moonstone. I shall be following your journey with his novels with great interest.

@christopherhoward7740 Год назад

Thank you for posting this video. I have been watching your videos for a while now, and I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and opinions about literature. I am reading “The Woman in White” right now, which is my first Wilkie Collins novel. I am a little over halfway through and I am enjoying it very much. The mystery and suspense involving Anne Catherick is keeping me on edge! Collins’s writing is very approachable and less complicated than some other Victorian authors that I have read (e.g. Eliot). I look forward to reading “The Moonstone” and others. By the way, I also read “Far from the Madding Crowd” recently and I thoroughly enjoyed Hardy’s poetic like prose 😊. Keep up the great videos!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Thanks very much! Glad you enjoyed Far from the Madding Crowd :)

@theresas709 Год назад

Thanks, it helps me pick my next Collins. I have only read The Woman in White and it is hard to imagine he might have written one I like better.

@jessica-fcm Год назад

Yay!!!! I've been waiting for this moment 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

@MartinDSmith Год назад

Thank you for this introduction!💝

@anasky00 Год назад

Thank you for sharing this video, I've been looking forward to reading more Wilkie Collins, but since I loved the woman in white and didn´t care for the frozen dip, I didn´t know what to read next!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

The Frozen Deep is quite different. I'd recommend The Moonstone and Armadale!

@anasky00 Год назад

@@katiejlumsden thank you!!

@jessica-fcm Год назад

Midwinter is a character that moved me to tears in certain moments (Wilkie certainly can touch our heartstrings) because of his love and loyalty to Alan and his horrible past. I actually literally cried for him more than once. But man... could he be annoying sometimes too... I mean he threw a fit every other page it was tiiiiiriiiiinggggg lol my boy was too dramatic. He "started to his feet" 900 times per chapter 😂 Thats the beauty of Wilkie Collins, he makes characters that you sometimes love but sometimes hate lol

@kathleencraine7335 Год назад

Thanks for this, Katie. And for pointing out the conflicting signals about British Imperialism vs. racial profiling in the Moonstone. I have No Name, The Law and the Lady and Dead Secret on my TBR and will approach them with caution!

@Dosser810 6 дней назад

Wilkie Collins is excellent! I read No Name and loved it! He is much overshadowed by Dickens, which I think is a shame.

@melissahouse1296 Год назад

Loved this Katie! your critique was actually quite funny 😆 Only read TWIW & completely agree on every point. Armadale next me thinks 🧐👍😊

@poetryfromthepiddle6202 8 месяцев назад

Thank you for this. I have just given a talk on Wilkie Collins which should be on You Tube soon. I certainly agree with your placing of The Moonstone. I could have done with discovering this presentation before my talk but enjoyed it tremendously.

@jessica-fcm Год назад

Honestly I would put No Name above The Moonstone. It's just so so soooooo good. I think No Name is a masterpiece! Although I obviously really enjoyed The Moonstone, especially the creepy aspect of that crazy shivering sand, wow was THAT a trip, super creepy and I loved it. But I found the ending way too simplistic, I was kinda underwhelmed by the "solution" of the mystery

@GetExercised Год назад

I agree about No Name!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Yeah I was thinking as I made this video that No Name is probably one to reread at some point. I wasn't really used to him yet when I read it, a few years ago. I might like it more another time.

@jessica-fcm Год назад

@@GetExercised it's so good! And it has some funny bits too

@terrysaunders2393 Год назад

I completely agree - it's got drama, peril, humour and a splendid heroine

@LizziebelleXOX Год назад

The early bird catches the worm 😊

@alisonbell3475 Год назад

Really fancy The Moonstone I think I read as a teenager but will choose it as a re read. 📖😊

@GetExercised Год назад

Well, you perfectly nailed the pros and cons of reading Wilkie Collins, lol. I probably will eventually read all of them just because, like you said, I just enjoy his writing. Armadale was incredible! Pettigrew's (I think that was his name) Postscript was so funny. He's incredible at creating these hilarious side characters. I would love to know your thoughts on Man and Wife. It's another conundrum with good points and then like...okay, really? Anyway, I will persevere with Collins!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

I do kind of want to read everything by him at one point, so I guess we'll see. I'm so torn on Wilkie Collins XD

@tinaeden8317 Год назад

I enjoyed your video immensely! I am a huge Collins fan who is currently reading "Man and Wife." It was written in 1870, and it is both enjoyable and interesting to learn about the various laws that were in place in the UK at that time. I have Basil, which is next on my list to read -- hope I like it better than you did. Have you visited Collins' gravesite or any of his former residences (if any are still standing)? How I would love to visit them, but I live in the US. Thank you for your video!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

I must read Man and Wife some time! And no, I've never visited any Wilkie Collins sites or anything.

@novellenovels Год назад

I love Wilkie Collins but for me my favourite is the woman in white.

@madebylora 9 месяцев назад

I’ve not read all the books on your list (I think I’ve read 4 and listened to one), but one that I enjoyed which isn’t on your list is the Dead Secret. It’s been a while since I read it, so I don’t remember much detail apart from the fact that I really enjoyed it! I know that’s not much of a recommendation but at least it is a spoiler free recommendation haha

@katiejlumsden 9 месяцев назад

I definitely need to read The Dead Secret. I have also just read Man and Wife and really liked that one.

@jessica-fcm Год назад

About Armadale, if anyone has any knowledge of psychology, I would love to know if Lydia is considered a psychopath. I ask this because she's certainly deadly cold, ruthless and has no problem murdering to achieve her goals(which points to psychopathy) but in certain moments she writes in her journal that she feels regret and shame about what she's about to do. Which is not a trait of psychopaths. I know it's a weird question to ask but I got so curious about this character's mind and where else will I ask this lol

@katiejlumsden Год назад

That would be so interesting to know and to think about!

@jeffaltier5582 Год назад

I'm an avid fan of Golden Age Mysteries, so reading the progenitors of the genre is a must. Woman In White and especially Moonstone are must reads for how a mystery could be expanded to novel form. It would have been interesting to see how Dickens would have influenced the genre if he had completed Edwin Drood. Prior to Collins we had writers like Poe who incorporated mystery into their short stories. AC Doyle took up the mantle from Collins and Poe with the Sherlock Holmes stories and off it went.

@nola3963 Год назад

His work isn’t accessible where I live. I only found the woman in white- which I love. I’d love to read more, but shipment is sooo expensive 🤕🔥. I enjoyed this video. I can’t wait to read more of his books 👍🏼❤️.

@janetsmith8566 Год назад

This is so interesting. Because this is totally Anthony Trollope for me. I know you rank him as your second favourite author, but I just can’t. Yet I keep trying with him because in the same way as you I find so many good things in there. Many of your valid criticisms regarding Wilkie Collins I could say about actually many of the authors I’ve read from the era, though not the Brontës yet! I especially lept upon your comment about all sorts of drama going on but nothing actually happening! How many times have I thought something similar to myself as I’m reading or listening! Although with other authors. In fact I’ve made a personal determination that the Victorians simply liked to repeat themselves a great deal for some reason - maybe it was a dearth of editors LOL. I haven’t read much of Wilkie Collins yet so I’m sure I will likely agree with you on all points or most of them. I think this shows that we are just so much more forgiving towards some authors that we instinctively love than we are of others for some strange reason that is a mystery even to ourselves. As you pointed out. Thanks for a great video!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

I would say that Trollope is a fairly consistent author, so if you don't get on with him, you may just not get on with him! But yes, I think you're right - I feel like I'm less forgiving of Wilkie Collins and I'm not sure why!

@janetsmith8566 Год назад

@@katiejlumsden I suspect it’s his preoccupation with state politics and church politics, which you said you enjoyed. Any you could recommend that touch more lightly on these themes?

@cathrussell2426 Год назад

I've only read three Wilkie Collins books, The Woman in White, The Moonstone and The Dead Secret. The Moonstone is my favourite. The Dead Secret was very readable indeed and I love his writing. My only slight annoyance was that I got excited when I saw it was set in Cornwall because I am Cornish, but it didn't feel like Cornwall, I felt like it could've been anywhere. Pleased to report that I have three more Collins books, all ones you've mentioned as being good.

@The_WriterVerse Год назад

The Moonstone sounds like Doyle’s The Sign of Four. From the set up to the social commentary to the villains.

@GetExercised Год назад

So I just finished The Two Destinies five minutes ago, and that ending was SO messed up! You were not joking. Seriously messed up.

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Right?! It was so wild and weird!

@GenWivern2 Год назад

Yes, I think Collins' readability and lurid subject matter ensure him an enthusiastic audience, and a sniffy response from critics. Both have a point. Would recommend The Moonstone to anybody looking for a quality pageturner, though.

@GardenRailway 5 месяцев назад

Wilkie Collins is a favourite of mine, I'm all about the "main force"

@terrysaunders2393 Год назад

As a long-time member of the Wilkie Collins Society, I was very interested to hear your views on those of his novels you have read so far. I agree with many of your comments, but I do think you seriously undersold No Name, which has drama, peril, humour and some really strong characters - especially Magdalen, Captain Wragge and Mrs Lecount. I would encourage you to read Man and Wife next, which covers both unjust marriage laws and domestic violence, as well as including a hilarious scene at a Scottish inn!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

I do think that No Name might improve for me on a reread. Man and Wife is definitely on my list :)

@jenmiller9744 Год назад

In one of your recent videos you briefly mentioned "The Silver Sword" by Ian Serraillier. I'm from the U.S. and had never heard of it, but just finished reading it and it was delightful! I love to throw in an occasional children's book, so nice and cozy. Let me recommend one of my childhood favorites: "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett (but don't bother with the movie, it's no good).

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Oh, so glad to hear you enjoyed it! So, I have not read A Little Princess, but I have seen the film. I should probably read it sometime.

@manolitita_gafotas Год назад

I´m currently reading "The Woman in White" and, unfortunately, I don´t find it nearly as good as "The Moonstone", but I´ll put "Armadale" on my next Victober TBR, thank you for the recommendation :)

@jersy6406 Год назад

I loved No Name, it feels like a villian origin story.

@cedarspringdesign Год назад

If only I had been born in Cornwall and learned English-English. No so easy to follow as an American-English speaker.

@apollonia6656 3 месяца назад

The only character I enjoyed in the Moonstone was Gabriel Betteridge;the character that got on my nerves was Miss Clank. Anyway, my number one Wilkie Collins book is The Woman in White. As for Poor Miss Finch ? I honestly couldn't empath with any of the characters. The novel felt hurried and Oscar with his twin Nugent kept messing up the supposed plot...blindness. If the 13 Wilkie Collins books I have means that the fourth in my very long TBR is No Name ......I am very strict with my list and if a book is placed at Number 16, for example, of that month of reading them I will have to read it ! My misfortune this year is that my TBR consists of more that 70% of books that are brick size 😅....the rest, in average , are in the 550-750 pages eg: Wilkie Collins !😊

@AngryPapaSmurf Год назад

Wilkie is much more accessible then Dickens, very enjoyable and his works remain fresh and have a modern feel.

@marichristian1072 Год назад

"Woman in White" is a brilliant novel. Characters and plot were a novelistic breakthrough. Social commentary is woven throughout- especially the fate of married women who could be committed for life in an institution at the whim of a rapacious husband. I like "The Moonstone" but despite its intriguing narrative pattern, it fails to engage me as much as "Woman in White".

@kerrygraham3544 Год назад

Just a comment on presentation, and don't take this too badly. Please, take a deep breath and slow down.

@ladyredl3210 Год назад

10:45 that sounds like something Marie Correlli would write. I also hated Basil he’s so up his own butt! Edit:Amradeale is my favorite Collins. Lydia is an amazing villain, I love her.

@davebonello1944 Год назад

(Melanie here) I have read 2 Wilkie Collins novels - The Moonstone and The Woman in White. I enjoyed both but especially The Woman in White. One question I had about the end of The Woman in White is (SPOILER ALERT) - How did Walter and his wife marry if she didn't have a legal name at that point? Just a question :)

@katiejlumsden Год назад

So, this seems to come up a lot in Victorian novels - people often marry with false names etc and it still seems to be legal. I'm not 100% certain how the law worked at this time!

@davebonello1944 Год назад

@@katiejlumsden Thanks :)

@phoebegarrett3055 10 месяцев назад

Who else wishes there was a movie on his book armadale? I sure do.

@marcevan1141 Год назад

I have only read "Woman in White" and "The Moonstone. " I absolutely loved them both , though I was slightly disappointed in the endings.

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Yeah, I found the ending of The Woman in White especially a bit long and silly.

@marcevan1141 Год назад

@@katiejlumsden Yes, but his gift for character, narrative momentum and atmosphere more than makes up for it.

@felixarquer7732 11 месяцев назад

@@katiejlumsden What aspect of the ending do you find silly?

@nedmerrill5705 Год назад

The only Wilkie Collins I've read so far is _The Woman in White,_ and I have very mixed feelings about it. The thing I feel that is "odd" about it is the amount of attention he spends on eavesdropping. Eavesdropping, eavesdropping on eavesdroppers, etc. etc. and on and on. So much sneaking around trying to find out who knows what about whom. So, it's like, "What are these characters listening for? What happens if they are caught? Why should I care? I forget." And adds a lot of length to the novel. I will try the _Moonstone,_ and see if that's an improvement before I give up on him entirely.

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Yeah, he is just a bit . . . odd sometimes!

@bookingthroughlife Год назад

I just finished Hide and Seek and loved it. I thought Collins did a great job representing a Deaf person and I loved the hopeful ending. One thing that I found annoying is that the chapters names were spoilers. Why would the author spoil his own book? I am intrigued by what might have annoyed you. Was it something to do with Zach and Madonna? 🧐 Thanks for another fantastic video.

@GetExercised Год назад

I'm guessing the big reveal at the end about Zach and Madonna.

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Yes, that's it. I found the thing at the end with Zack and Madonna really frustrating - it felt like Wilkie Collins had kind of played a mean joke at Madonna's expense? I don't know, just left a bad taste in my mouth, though I enjoyed so much of the rest of the book.

@UK-jt3mw Год назад

Woman in white, moonstone, armadale, no name, are his four masterpieces (the four novels in the 1860s when he was at his peak) and poor miss finch, law and the lady, and haunted hotel are also excellent. Basil was actually pretty good for an early work: not top drawer but good. No Name btw is seriously underrated. Your criticism of No name and of “wanting more of the other sister” is quite weak (as you admit midway in your criticism) since the protagonist had to be the more adventurous sister. Also woman in white as an “almost hit” ?!?!!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

I think I'll probably reread No Name one of these days and enjoy it more.

@kellybrown8638 Год назад

May I make a respectful comment? I really want to understand what you are saying.... but it is very hard to understand you. I am a North American. English is my home language. You are speaking so quickly, and not pausing between sentences... at times it sounds like the video is sped up. Also, where you are recording your video is causing a slight echo. Getting a clip on microphone will improve your sound quality. I hope you keep doing these videos. Really enjoyed your observations.

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Hi, and thanks! My videos aren't sped up - they're actually all digitally slowed down, believe it or not. I naturally speak very fast. RU-vid lets you slow down videos further, if you click the little cog in the corner, which I recommend if it's useful for you. I have tried microphones before, but sadly that's just how it sounds in my home! I'm hoping to get curtains and a carpet sometime soon, which might help absorb the echo!

@suganthym1438 9 месяцев назад

Might want to slow it. An option utube does provide.

@apollonia6656 3 месяца назад

We English tend to speak much, much slower than Americans and here is an example that really shook me ! No, I am not being rude or offensive in anyway whatsoever, but I just cannot keep up with you, Jennifer. Slowing the speed does make it sound weird. Gosh, if you read as fast as you talk you would finish Les Miserables in less than an hour ! Kind regards from Cheshire.

@LuminousLibro Год назад

I was also really frustrated with Basil! He’s so idiotic and makes such bad decisions. Haha!

@katiejlumsden Год назад

Right?!

@clairecopple4369 Год назад

I have read an awful lot of Collins novels, even some quite obscure ones, and I love him as an author. But Basil was a problem for me from the start. I think it was an early one, so maybe can be forgiven!

@KevTheImpaler Год назад

I have read The Woman in White and The Moonstone. I thought Uncle Fairlie was very funny in Woman in White. He seemed like a cross between Charles Hawtry and Brian Sewell. Camp and arch as anything. I liked Drusilla Clack in The Moonstone. Such a massive hypocrite.