i finished Drood a few days ago and have spent some time thinking about what my real feelings about it are. As I was reading it I almost dropped it a few time because A) it dragged a little in spots, B)the puppy killing was terrible I have next to no tolerance for that kind of stuff and C) it got very weird in places

After finishing it and letting it sit for a few days I think overall I liked it the plot was intriguing the characters great. I finished The Woman in White before I read this and I think Simmons caught Collins' voice pretty well.

The Terror is in my opinion a better book.

I'm on chapter 39 -- only 200 pages left.

I'm glad, Paula, that you haven't been turned off on Collins by this. The Moonstone was very entertaining -- though I guess you know the ending now. I also enjoyed another novel of his -- "My lady's money" or something like that.

I have to keep reminding myself this was not really written by Wilkie Collins, though he probably wasn't a great guy.

I agree with Heidi's sentiment, expressed in an earlier section. If this hadn't been part of a group read, I would seriously have struggled getting to the end. As it is, I only rushed to finish it so I didn't have to lug it around on my trip.

At the end, I thought perhaps it was a way for the author to express his own frustration that he would never be considered as great as Dickens; then I thought he had a deep passion for Collins as was lamenting the fast that Collins had not received the same literary recognition as Dickens.

Finally - I realized it was just a somewhat failed attempt at something much grander; he couldn't be that passionate about Collins to portary him that way.

One area where I thought the book failed was its discussion of the plight of women and the lower classes of society. I had thought Collins did more to further equality among the sexes and the masses. The only area that seemed to be concerned about the poor and women was with Drood and his followers, but they were portrayed as evil incarnate, and hence their ideas as evil. This is completely contrary to my previous thoughts of Collins.

Alas, I have no desire to read anything else by this author, but I did pick up The Moonstone yesterday and am excited about further group discussions of anything by Dickens or Collins! :) Perhaps this is just a longing to return to the true masters, those of a time gone-by, not those who recreate it in modern times.

Unintelligible my dear Wilkie, Unintelligible.

But then, that's the point, or the lack of a point. Drood is deliberately elliptical it seems. At times funny pastiche, pure historical derivation, gothic horror. It attempts to have as many exits and entrances as Undertown (and dead ends).

These are my first impressions on finishing the book. Towards the end I was a bit frustrated as it seemed to wander a little after Wilkie's kidnapping by Drood. It could have been a darker book with some editing. In a sense I felt the book “gave in” to an ending … it would have been more consistent with the mood of the book to have no ending at all.

Its an interesting book, almost a modern attempt at a “decadent” novel which runs out of steam a little towards the end. It fails to take a final step into the darkness too, which is disappointing and makes the end a bit confused.

It took me forever to finish this book! I find it bizarre but engaging.

I still can't figure out what happens with Agnes in the servant's stairs.

I have not read anything from this author before. I give him credit for coming up with such a strange story.

I've only just started (on page 100 approx.) - loving it, can't put it down!

This discussion is for any aspect of Drood from start to finish and everywhere in between.