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221bpinkst's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
marandi's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
smithel's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful book. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked it up, because although I'd loved Woman in White I'd had a hard time getting through the Moonstone. I needn't have worried! It's a fast-moving, engaging plot right from the beginning, and the characters are wonderfully flawed and likable. The heroine, Magdalen, is daring and resolute, and one can't help rooting for her. While reading I tried to imagine the experience of reading it as a serial and having to wait for the next installment, and certainly the plot is broken into episodes, often with a cliff-hanger, that come from the original format of the story.
No Name tells the story of Norah and Magdalen, who have an idyllic childhood, with no reason to doubt their place in the world. After the sudden deaths of their parents, the girls are shocked to discover that their parents had not been married when Norah and Magdalen were born, so that they are not entitled to inherit any portion of their parents' fortune. Norah accepts her lot and decides to gracefully step away from her place in society to become a governess. Magdalen, however, vows revenge on the uncle who inherited their property, and the novel followed her plots to restore the family fortune to her and her sister. The transmutation of Magdalen from a spoiled young girl to a determined con artist as she comes to discover her own abilities and strength are what really make the novel stand out.
No Name tells the story of Norah and Magdalen, who have an idyllic childhood, with no reason to doubt their place in the world. After the sudden deaths of their parents, the girls are shocked to discover that their parents had not been married when Norah and Magdalen were born, so that they are not entitled to inherit any portion of their parents' fortune. Norah accepts her lot and decides to gracefully step away from her place in society to become a governess. Magdalen, however, vows revenge on the uncle who inherited their property, and the novel followed her plots to restore the family fortune to her and her sister. The transmutation of Magdalen from a spoiled young girl to a determined con artist as she comes to discover her own abilities and strength are what really make the novel stand out.
sunflowers_sunsets's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jesshaberman's review against another edition
This book is quite a tome, and yet I didn't want it to end! It does meander quite a bit and there were moments, especially during dialogue featuring Captain Wragge or Mrs. LeCount, where I wanted to say, "Spit it out, already!" But since the book was originally presented serially, it makes sense that Collins would build up the suspense and linger on some conversations more than you'd think necessary. There were times when I wasn't sure who to side with--when every character seemed like a villain--but I truly enjoyed the evolution of each character, especially Magdalen's. The significance of Captain Kirke was hinted at pretty early and it took so long for the story to circle back to him--and I longed for more of him--but I was very satisfied with the end result. This is a book I would recommend to any fan of Wilkie Collins--but not necessarily to the casual reader of "classic fiction."
evia_booklover's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mxinky's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a huge Wilkie fan and this is now my favorite of his works. No Name's protagonist does not play, ok? She does not simper or appeal to god for forgiveness in a fake way. Magdalen is a revenge machine. I don't want to spoil it but, damn, I will be rereading.
(Armadale used to be my favorite, but this is better.)
(Armadale used to be my favorite, but this is better.)
weaselweader's review against another edition
5.0
"Mr Vanstone's daughters are Nobody's Children ... and the law leaves them helpless at their uncle's mercy!"
When Mr and Mrs Vanstone are killed in an accident, an understandable oversight and the misogynistic vagaries of Victorian law have left their daughters, Magdalen and Norah, orphaned and penniless. The Vanstone estate passes in its entirety to their embittered uncle who refuses to recognize the justice of their claim against his brother's wealth. A sanguine, disappointed and much more conventional Norah resigns herself to her fate and takes up a position as governess to support herself. But a furious and defiant Magdalen refuses to accept the loss of what she knows is rightfully hers and her sisters. With the help of an unscrupulous con artist, Captain Horatio Wragge, Magdalen embarks on a labyrinthine Machiavellian scheme to steal back her birthright.
In his own preface to NO NAME, Wilkie Collins acknowledged that while he wanted to use the success he had achieved with his first ground-breaking "sensation novel", THE WOMAN IN WHITE, he also wanted to push his story-telling into new divergent directions. Far from being a purely gothic or atmospheric mystery, NO NAME is astonishingly realistic and down to earth. Norah's and Magdalen's illegitimacy in law and their loss of social status and inheritance rights are all entirely believable. Beginning a theme which he returned to later in MAN AND WIFE, Collins used his writing as a platform to examine the legal, moral and social issues of Victorian law as it related to marriage and the status of women. And he certainly didn't hesitate to use that platform to express his deep dismay over the inequities that he perceived in those laws.
Interestingly, while Magdalen's quest to recover her fortune by any means available was quite understandable and, even to the most establishment bound Victorian reader, somewhat justifiable, she is not a particularly likable heroine. The dubious choices she made were certainly a substantial part of what made NO NAME such a scandalous book in its time and, equally certainly, are part of what makes NO NAME an enduring classic that allows readers to judge for themselves the virtues of what she does in the name of justice.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
When Mr and Mrs Vanstone are killed in an accident, an understandable oversight and the misogynistic vagaries of Victorian law have left their daughters, Magdalen and Norah, orphaned and penniless. The Vanstone estate passes in its entirety to their embittered uncle who refuses to recognize the justice of their claim against his brother's wealth. A sanguine, disappointed and much more conventional Norah resigns herself to her fate and takes up a position as governess to support herself. But a furious and defiant Magdalen refuses to accept the loss of what she knows is rightfully hers and her sisters. With the help of an unscrupulous con artist, Captain Horatio Wragge, Magdalen embarks on a labyrinthine Machiavellian scheme to steal back her birthright.
In his own preface to NO NAME, Wilkie Collins acknowledged that while he wanted to use the success he had achieved with his first ground-breaking "sensation novel", THE WOMAN IN WHITE, he also wanted to push his story-telling into new divergent directions. Far from being a purely gothic or atmospheric mystery, NO NAME is astonishingly realistic and down to earth. Norah's and Magdalen's illegitimacy in law and their loss of social status and inheritance rights are all entirely believable. Beginning a theme which he returned to later in MAN AND WIFE, Collins used his writing as a platform to examine the legal, moral and social issues of Victorian law as it related to marriage and the status of women. And he certainly didn't hesitate to use that platform to express his deep dismay over the inequities that he perceived in those laws.
Interestingly, while Magdalen's quest to recover her fortune by any means available was quite understandable and, even to the most establishment bound Victorian reader, somewhat justifiable, she is not a particularly likable heroine. The dubious choices she made were certainly a substantial part of what made NO NAME such a scandalous book in its time and, equally certainly, are part of what makes NO NAME an enduring classic that allows readers to judge for themselves the virtues of what she does in the name of justice.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss