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    The Moonstone
    The Moonstone
    The Moonstone
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    The Moonstone

    Written by Wilkie Collins

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Hailed as a masterpiece on publication, The Moonstone still thrills as a supreme detective story. But it is also a novel of mounting suspense, as the action follows the Moonstone’s trail. The gem is tracked from the bloody looting of Seringapatam to the peaceful heart of England and on to the grim slums of London’s East End. By skilfully using separate narrators with their differing viewpoints, Wilkie Collins deepens the mystery. Even the great Sergeant Cuff makes a false deduction. The fate of the Moonstone remains uncertain until the final revelation.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe Copyright Group
    Release dateJan 1, 2014
    ISBN9781780003658
    Author

    Wilkie Collins

    William Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and more than 100 essays. His best-known works are The Woman in White and The Moonstone.

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    Reviews for The Moonstone

    4/5

    2,365 ratings92 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Certainly a classic, but a bit of a chore to get through.
    • 3/5
      I read this back in high school. When you have to read a book assigned to you a lot of times you dislike it automatically. I liked it, much to my surprise, and would read it again to see if I'd enjoy it as an adult.
      Have it on e-book now.
    • 5/5
      Very entertaining Victorian mystery, and very well written. My first foray with Wilkie Collins, will definitely be seeking more. Narrator nailed it!
    • 2/5
      I had to abandon this at least 2/3 of the way through. I was listening to a Librivox recording and the third narrator, Christine?, killed it for me. Her English is so heavily accented to the American ear that I could hardly follow it anymore. This also occurred at a major transition point in the novel and I just couldn't get there when it slowed to a sanil's pace. Oh well.
    • 5/5
      An instant classic that enthralls with a mood that starts to enter your world as you read it. And what a story!!
    • 4/5
      Pretty good story though a bit wordy. Loved some of the characters very much!
    • 4/5
      That is a page-turner! The Moonstone kept me guessing until the end. Collins has you fixing on one character, then another, as the suspected thief of the Moonstone (when all the time it never belonged to any of those thieving Brits, but to a Hindu temple in India). Collins is a talented writer, no doubt. The only doubt is why Dickens got the one-up on him. Both are so sexist, though, and terribly misinformed as to the intellect of women, and even more misguided in their esteem of male intelligence.
      Miss Clack, as the hypocritical Christian, was given a soundly amusing treatment.
    • 5/5
      Wilkie Collins was a close friend of Dickens and is best known for The Woman in White and I was given this Penguin Classics version of The Moonstone as a recommendation. And it’s a cracker! Often held up as the inspiration for ‘the detective novel’, the story is narrated by several different characters within it, all with distinct voices and a particular axe to grind. It tells of The Moonstone, a particularly large uncut diamond that is left by her uncle to 18 year old Rachel on her birthday but disappears from the family house on the same night. The story follows the origins of the diamond and its interested parties both upstairs and downstairs, as well as the shadowy Indians who are trying to claim it back for the Hindu state from whence it came. It’s romantic, clever, funny in parts, full of more ghastly characters than admirable ones, and the combination draws you in. It’s a classic for a good reason.
    • 4/5
      The multiple narrators work great — it helps that the two with the most potential to be annoying, Betteredge and Clack, are instead charming and funny in their self-awareness and lack of it. The influence of Dickens is preponderant in the tragic character of Ezra Jennings, a Sidney Carton-a-like made more interesting by his opium addiction being informed by the author's own. Then there's fine young Victorian fellow Franklin Blake, who didn't do much for me but is very much at home in a book like this, rose-fancier and proto-supersleuth Police Sgt. Cuff, buff solicitor Bruff, the orientalist Murthwaite... I reckon Dickens had a hand in the naming too, come to think of it. At the centre of it all, but without her own narrative voice, is fruity young Rachel Verinder who ends up getting a pretty fair shake compared to many another Victorian heroine. I also appreciated the ending, where the stone finds its way back to the land it was looted from. Whether it's women, foreigners, or opium addicts, old Wilkie seems to have been a pretty enlightened chap.The plot is engaging, though hardly the misdirectional masterpiece some claim. As a detective story it's fairly rudimentary, but still ticking off a ton of what would become staple tropes and very impressive given its lack of antecedents. It's also a capable romance and adventure tale. About 150% too long of course — why use 80,000 words when 200,000 will do? Serialise the shit out of that! That's how they rocked and rolled back then, isn't it.
    • 5/5
      Now I might have to read Robinson Crusoe!
    • 5/5
      Excellent in many ways. A well crafted story, characters have well developed personalities, relationships show polite and actual behaviors in language and action, demonstrates acts of racism and inclusion by white English nobility. Also include are class distinctions and behaviors within those classes. The challenges and difficulties created when one crosses over the class boundaries or moral/ethical boundaries is demonstrated by several characters.
    • 5/5
      This book has lived with me since forever. No way I can be objective about it. I've been re-reading a few old books which were favourites in my late teens and it is interesting to see which come out best (or worst) in the class/gender/race teeth gnashing stakes. Wilkie Collins comes out quite well (born 1824), John Buchan not so well (b. 1875), Kipling (b. 1865) not too bad except for women! Shall try some Rider Haggard next (b. 1856).
    • 5/5
      This one gets the full five stars from me - I absolutely loved it. Written in 1868 and considered by many to be the first detective novel, it is amazing to me how accessible the writing is - it reads like a modern day mystery. Told in eight different narratives that are presented as written testimony, the mystery of what happened to the Moonstone slowly unfolds and kept me guessing almost to the end. I listened to the audio, which is brilliantly narrated by a full cast, and followed along in the print book. I feel like the very first character we meet totally steals the show - Gabriel Betteredge is the House-Steward for Lady Julia Verinder, and is present at the events leading up to the Moonstone going missing and the dramatic events that follow. He consults his favorite book, [Robinson Crusoe], for answers to life's questions:"I am not superstitious. I have read a heap of books in my time; I am a scholar in my own way. Though turned seventy, I possess an active memory, and legs to correspond. You are not to take it, if you please, as a saying of an ignorant man, when I express my opinion that such a book as Robinson Crusoe never was written and never will be written again. I have tried that book for years generally in combination with a pipe of tobacco - I have found it my friend in need in all the necessities of this mortal life. When my spirits are bad - Robinson Crusoe. When I want advice - Robinson Crusoe. In past times when my wife plagued me; in present times when I have had a drop too much - Robinson Crusoe. I have worn out six stout Robinson Crusoes with hard work in my service. On my lady's last birthday she gave me a seventh. I took a drop too much on the strength of it; and Robinson Crusoe put me right again. Price four shillings and sixpence, bound in blue, with a picture in the bargain."Betteredge also catches "detective fever" when he meets the famous Sergeant Cuff, who is hired to solve the mystery of the missing diamond. He just cannot resist doing some detecting on his own. The results are delightful, and thus begins the reader's descent into solving the crime. As each new narrative adds another layer, the story takes on dimension and the little details that were shared in the beginning take on new meaning. From start to finish, this one was full of fabulous for me. If you haven't read this one yet, what on earth are you waiting for?!
    • 5/5
      In 2015 The Guardian published a list of the 100 best novels published in English, listed in chronological order of publication. Under Covid inspired lockdown, I have taken up the challenge.Moonstone, from 1868, and 19th in the list, was an absolute delight to read. An early detective story, written from the different points of view of vatious participants in the drama, Wilkie Collins has given us a book full of fun. I enjoyed the caricatures of the different voices - the stalwart steward, the religious crank cousin and so on. The plot is interesting enough to maintain the readers interest, and by the end the book had become a real page-turner.
    • 5/5
      Given my awkward history with Collins, I must attribute my success with The Moonstone with the mystique of the Medina. It was frightfully hot in Morocco and I slipped into this novel as an escape and enjoyed its serial protagonists, its clumsy racism, its outrageous plot. Along with Stendhal's Charterhouse of Parma this novel fit the definition of transportive in an airtight manner.

      The Moonstone has been regarded as the first detective movel. Its disparate perspectives don't quite overlap and there is a lack of torque about the affair. The lingering gray ambiguity suits the novel's mood, which unsettles. The Moonstone does yield a fertile field of suspects. The representation of opium is a curious bend to the whole process.
    • 5/5
      So much better than I would have expected. You got the Victorian novel mojo, plus what amounts to a really good mystery story. Read it serially (like it was published, albeit on an accelerated schedule), which definitely added to the experience.
    • 3/5
      Not near as good as Woman in White - supposedly a mystery involving a gem stolen by three Indian men, the theft of which breaks apart a potential love affair.
    • 4/5
      Considered the first detective story, and a classic suspense story, Collins' The Moonstone is a cycling, twisting tale of intrigue and theft. From narrator to narrator, the parts of the world unfold until clues seem to build to one conclusion, and then another, surprising the characters along with the reader.Although it took me some time to get into the book, once I passed through the first two narrators' sections, I could hardly put the book down, and so many moments and details surprised me that it was an incredibly satisfying read, and one I'm surprised I didn't manage to read sooner. I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves the classics, from Dickens on through others, and anyone who enjoys mysteries--this was a fun one.
    • 3/5
      It is very interesting to see the difference in this Victorian mystery - one of the first straight mystery novels - and detective fiction today. The shifting perspectives keeps the story from bogging down. But, there is still way too much detail for modern day readers. It is understandable that Collins had to lay things out much plainer for his audience - they hadn't been raised on detective fiction and CSI.

      I would recommend this book, though, to readers that love detective fiction (if only because it was one of the very first in the genre) and to anyone that loves Victorian fiction. To readers that are trying to read 1001 Books To Read Before You Die, it is worth the read. I can't say that about all of them.
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable detective story.
    • 4/5
      19th century epistolary novel about the theft and subsequent search of a alleged cursed diamond. The story and its mystery is very engaging, but, like most serialized novels, it is very long and has numerous side-tracks and false starts.
    • 4/5
      It's curious to me that Wilkie Collins isn't taught in high schools around here, while many of his contemporaries are staples. I find his books to be extremely readable page turners and "The Moonstone" was not exception (though it wasn't as terrific as "The Woman in White." A valuable gem stone is stolen from India, which brings cursed luck to those who possess it. Franklin Blake is instructed to bring the stone to Rachel Verinder, the niece of the diamond's previous owner... in a family that despises each other. The gem disappears pretty quickly and a series of narrators try to unravel the mystery. This book is considered one of the first detective novels. The mystery was interesting and had several unexpected aspects. It is definitely a book that reflects its time period (which is one I particularly enjoy so that didn't concern me in the least.) A good fun read.
    • 5/5
      Still holds up after almost 150 years.Even though 1862's "The Notting Hill Mystery" and 1866's "The Lerouge Case" may technically pre-date 1868's "The Moonstone" as earlier detective novels, it is not likely that any other book is going to out-do it for the title of most popular early detective novel. Aside from establishing what are now considered the standard touchstones of mystery and crime writing, it is simply entertaining to read and hardly feels out-dated. It even seems reasonably modern with its sympathetic portrayals of the house servants and the Indian Brahmins. Add terrificly realized characters such as the strong female lead of Rachel Verinder, the comic relief of house steward Betteredge and his go-to Magic 8-Ball of "Robinson Crusoe", the slightly-crazed evangelist Drusilla Clack, the opium-addicted Ezra Jennings, etc. and it is not hard to understand why Wilkie Collins will continue to hold his place in crime and mystery fiction history.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Collins is an excellent writer and although the book is quite long I just delighted in the luxurious language and the descriptive passages. It was quite interesting as well to read the writings of the principal characters in relation to the theft of the moonstone. Because I love mysteries, I am sorry I waited to long to read this first detective novel.
    • 2/5
      Many years of reviews about a great classic detective novel,THE MOONSTONE, prompted me to finally read it via DailyLit.com.Yes, it reveals a decent mystery, but it is cloaked in page after page of boring repetitive tedium which ultimately result in some true suspense in the final pages.It could have been a fine novella if less tedious, with goofy plot twists.Another problem is that one of the main character's Bible is ROBINSON CRUSOE: he quotes from this frequently as a guide with NO mention of slavery. Strangenot to have noticed that Rob was on his way to Africa to be a royal slave trader with no conscience.Two great quotes are what I came away with: "We are all of us more or less unwilling to be brought into the world. And we are all of us right."and"After the lapse of a minute, I roused my manhood and opened the door."These are the true Classics!
    • 5/5
      This is the best book I have read in a long time. I loved the fact that the story was written in different voices. It shows a brilliant author. Mr. Collins did a wonderful job of creating a negative character in Miss Clack. She is such an unlikeable person! Sergeant Cuff was wonderful. I loved Gabriel Bettered. Actually I enjoyed reading each characters view of the happenings. Clever, clever book.
    • 5/5
      Whether this or The Woman in White is the better novel is probably a matter of choice. I found Woman more compelling, I think because I’m moved more by the mystery surrounding a person than a stone. Cold as the light of the moon, you might argue.Miss Clack has to be one of the most foul creatures in literature, though I loved her proto-bookcrossing :)I particularly liked Collins’ sly and heartfelt anti-racism. Not something you often see in an English novel of this period. If Jennings isn’t a self portrait then I’ll eat my hat.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyed the story coming from the different perspectives of the characters involved. Each took you to a point and then passed on to the next character.
      Took my time and enjoyed the images painted with words by the author. Plan to read more by Wilkie Collins.
    • 4/5
      It's lengthy, and some narrators are more interesting than others, but it's a classic must-read for mystery fans--a seminal work of the genre.
    • 4/5
      Called "the first and greatest of English detective novels" by T.S.Eliot, The Moonstone is a masterpiece of suspense. A fabulous yellow diamond becomes the dangerous inheritance of Rachel Verinder. Outside her Yorkshire country house watch the Hindu priests who have waited for many years to reclaim their ancient talisman, looted from the holy city of Somnauth. When the Moonstone disappears the case looks simple, but in mid-Victorian England no one is what they seem, and nothing can be taken for granted.Witnesses, suspects, and detectives each narrate the story in turn. The bemused butler, the love-stricken housemaid, the enigmatic detective Sergeant Cuff, the drug-addicted scientist--each speculate on the mystery