No Name (Oxford World's Classics)
by William Wilkie Collins
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 114)
Read in May, 2008
This is one of the lesser-known of Collins' novels, which surprises me, as this is a cracking good read in the best 'sensation novel' tradition.
Sisters Magdalen and Norah Vanstone live an idyllic life with loving parents until tragedy strikes. Their father's death is followed quickly by the death of their mother. Not only are the sisters left orphans, but - because their parents weren't actually married when the girls were born - they are not entitled to inherit any of their parents' money o...more
Sisters Magdalen and Norah Vanstone live an idyllic life with loving parents until tragedy strikes. Their father's death is followed quickly by the death of their mother. Not only are the sisters left orphans, but - because their parents weren't actually married when the girls were born - they are not entitled to inherit any of their parents' money o...more
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Read in February, 1977
I read this book in the late 70s, when I was in graduate school at NYU, taking a course in Victorian Literature. Wilkie Collins is best known for the Woman in White, a thriller that is still produced on the stage today. Collins has been called the father of the mystery story; in English literature, he wrote some of the first modern thrillers. This one, about two daughters who find out the unspeakable--their parents were never married!--set out in the world to reclaim their inheritance, whic...more
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Read in April, 1996
An odd, odd book, with a protagonist who starts sympathetically and then goes off the deep end. I hesitated whether to give this three or four stars -- in terms of overall narrative, it is no more than three stars, but that main character, Magdelen, is so astonishing that it moves the entire rating up. Especially given the expectations for female characters in Victorian literature. Magdalen is suddenly thrown onto her own resources -- nobody to rescue her. She must use her own wits. And oh, she ...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone who loves the Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, or the Sensation Novel
Even though _The Woman in White_ is Wilkie Collins' most famous novel (followed by _The Moonstone_), I have to admit to enjoying this book more than the more "famous" ones. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the others, I did, I loves me the Wilkie Collins, but _No Name_ has a great match up between guiless pretenders that I enjoy (_Portrait of a Lady_, and _Dangerous Liasons_). It really is a smart read and pulls yo along. While it is not a "mystery" in the way that ...more
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I'm writing one of my seminar papers on this novel. It's smart. Maybe. This is a great novel overall, though. I think it's one of my favorite Wilkie Collins novels even though "Woman in White" and "Moonstone" are much more well known. I might recommend reading one of those 2 first and then if you like ol-style Victorian mysteries (and he pioneered the detective novel in English) then you should read "No Name"
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Read in December, 2007
This book was spectacular, and comparatively unpredictable from a Victorian stance. On the other hand, I don't really know how to read a Victorian novel without knowing from the first 15 pages who will be married at the end, so this was an adventure for me. Of course Wilkie Collins can do no wrong, and this book reinforces that notion.
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Read in January, 2006
While many books suffer from a sagging middle, this one has a slow - though necessary for the plot - start; I wasn't all that thrilled with the ending. The story itself, once the sisters' fate is established, moves rapidly. Captain and Mrs. Wragge are a hoot!
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Read in May, 2008
Where in Dickens do you find women who Accomplish their Ends?? I can't remember any. This volume was very enjoyable and a different plot tack from WinW.
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This is the story of two illegitimate women who are cheated of their inheritance when their parents are killed and how their fortune was restored to them.
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Read in March, 2008
Wilkie Collins is amazing! One of my favorite authors...maybe my favorite. The characters in this story are unforgettable.
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Read in February, 2007
I love love LOVE Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White is especially good.
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