A review by mcfade28
Basil by Wilkie Collins

4.0

This is my 2nd Wilkie Collins novel after The Woman in White. I loved both books, and I think Wilkie Collins may be one of the most readable of the classical authors. He may just be the king of the sensationalist novel. In this book, we follow Basil, the son of a wealthy, snobbish gentleman. Basil falls in love at first sight on a bus one day and decides he must marry the girl, despite the fact she comes from a poor background and his father would never accept it. What follows is a twisting turning tale of deception.

The writing style felt very modern and was easily understood without referring to any of the footnotes. Collins was a close friend of Charles Dickens, but in my mind he is a far more entertaining option.