BBC #77: The Woman in White

Published in 1859-1860, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is one of the first mystery and sensation novels. It is often applauded as being one of the greatest of it's kind. The novel is written in the form of statements, letters, and diary entries, and compiled by the editor and primary writer, Mr. Walter Hartright.

Hartright is drawing master who finds himself lucky enough to get a position at the Limmeridge house (somewhere in the country), tutoring two young ladies. Before he can leave London he meets a mysterious woman dressed all in white with connections with the Limmeridge house. Upon seeing her distress, Hartright helps her find a cab and sees her safely off. Only then does he run across two gentlemen asking about a woman in white who had escaped from an asylum. Thinking he's leaving the mysterious event behind him, Hartright heads to the Limmeridge house and meets the two ladies, Miss Halcombe and Miss Fairlie. The mystery of the woman in white does not stay in London, however, and very soon both young ladies and Mr. Hartright are drawn into the midst of it. The author then takes these pieces and twists and weaves them into a compelling novel.


This book drew no strong emotions from me. The villains mildly disgusted me. The hero I silently applauded. The main characters were vaguely interesting with only one character really appealing to me: Miss Halcombe. Since she was only a supporting character I even lost my emotional attachment to her.

These words should not dissuade anyone from reading this book. Mystery novels are not about the depth of character, they are about the story line and that was masterfully written. From the first line to the last it is full of surprises to keep your mind busily engaged while it works the real story out without you noticing.

While I think this novel is very well written, it will not end up on my "favorites" list. I read it, I enjoyed it, but I did not love it.