A Keeper

The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins. After languishing on the "buy" list for probably two years or so, this book can be officially moved to the "read it" side of the ledger. I listened to parts and read parts, and enjoyed it immensely.

The Woman in White: is she a ghost? As it turns out, no. Just a sad character who meets a sad ending. But from the first of this tale, told from different perspectives by those who have first hand knowledge, like a trial (which I can appreciate), the tale winds through a labrynth of shady characters and vulnerable, though aristocratic women, with a sprinkling of second-class women, in service, to care for those aristocratic women.

Wilkie's character development is fantastic. Apparently, some reviews of the story at the time of its publication were critical, accusing Collins of creating flat characters whose only purpose was to carry the plot forward. What book were they were reading?? The pernicioulsy evil Count Fosco? Weak, self-centered Mr. Fairlie (the "invalid")? Staunchly loyal Marian Halcomb? Laura, Lady Glyde, is a little flat, but wasn't that the point? A beautiful, wealthy, young women whose main value lay her money, her ability to bear an heir, and maybe her connections. In those days women were not encouraged to be more than eye candy or maybe sources for entertainment if they could sing or play piano, but ultimately dependent on their fathers (or a proxy thereof) until they married, at which time they became entirely dependent on their husbands. And of course, these rich, idle women had little incentive to be otherwise.

In the end, Collins created a deliciously suspenseful book that was worth the time. Perhaps there is a sadness in knowing that were the story written today, there'd be no story: one quick buccal swab would clarify much of the mystery, and the rest wouldn't matter. Progress, right?