Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

[dotinthesky]

Wilkie Collins, No Name, 1862
I can't remember the last time I read a novel as enjoyable as this one, a page-turner ground on strong characters and a thought-provoking theme. No Name tells the story of two sisters, Norah and Magdalen, who fall into poverty after they discover they have no claim on their parents' inheritance, thanks to a technicality in the will. The girls' entire estate is left to a distant, and greedy, uncle who decides to only give them 100 pounds from the estate. Norah, the eldest, accepts her fate and finds work as a governess in London. Magdalen, however, takes matters into her own hands and plots an intricate revenge on the uncle with the help of a con artist.

Wilkie Collins was a friend of Charles Dickens and this novel was published in its time as a serial, much like Dickens' work. Each chapter carries enough plot twists and cliffhangers to keep you interested on the story, as well as colourful characters - scoundrels, greedy rich men, scheming housekeepers - that are memorable and beg the question: why hasn't this been turned into a BBC series yet?!

Comments

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Grinding through?! Doesn't sound too fun! Which books did Aram bring? I'm leaving my copy of No Name here so I can't, unfortunately, lend it to you in Feb, but i'm sure you can find a cheapy copy. It's one of those classics that you'll find in any second-hand store, and on discount in big bookstores.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

There are no second hand stores in Spain! Well, maybe some. books are super expensive here.

He brought me:
Richard Russo, Bridge of Sighs
and your man Hollinghurst (The Line of Beauty)

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Nice! The Line of Beauty is really good. :-)

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

I look forward to starting it. The reason I'm "grinding through" GwtW is that I'd forgotten how annoying nearly every single person in the book is and how horribly slavery-affirming it is. Apparently Margaret Mitchell was strongly partisan and loved the south and what it had been.