This weekend marks the half-way point for The Moonstone read-along. And what a half! I'm loving it. On the first of this month, after a long wait, I finally picked up my copy of Wilkie's The Moonstone and opened that first page. Since then it has been like a non-stop party in my cranium with all the Wilkie loving going on. I decided a long time ago that Wilkie is one of my favourite authors and so far (and don't let me down) The Moonstone is confirming my love and nudging him up the leader board. The Moonstone starts in India where the slightly dodgy John Herncastle may or may not have done some really naughty things to get his grubby mitts on the stone. Nothing is clear. Zoom forward a few years and the stone is bequeathed to JH's niece, Rachel Verinder (who is perhaps a tad dodgy herself). BUT disaster strikes when the stone mysteriously goes missing overnight from a locked house and nothing looked to have been messed with. THE PLOT THICKENS. And there we have it, enter a bunch of awesome characters and some suspect ones and The Moonstone is underway.
I'm currently on page 336 out of 527, in the middle of the lawyer, Mr Bruff's narrative. Bruff is very different to the previous two narrators, just as Clack was very different to Betteredge. There are many things I love about Wilkie and his ability to write characters is one of them. Betteredge was just brilliant - someone (sorry, I forget who) described him as like a grandfather, albeit a slightly sexist but ultimately well-meaning grandfather. His love of Robinson Crusoe really is outstanding and even slightly persuaded me to try for a reread of that (ghastly) book. Then we move onto Miss Clack, the 'rampant spinster' who is determined to enlighten all those around her with her various religious tracts. She has some pretty impressive skills for spreading the word.
I must say, considering the title of the book and all, the actual moonstone gets forgotten a fair bit. I question whether they really want to find it or are more interested in the gossip and the excitement of talking about the missing moonstone. And the scandal. Who doesn't love a damn good scandal?! Still, tell me where the shiny is!
I'm actually dying to just sit down and devour the remainder of the novel but I am working hard to resist so that I can savour the experience. Reading a Wilkie biography is helping with that - I'm still getting Wilkie goodness but making it last at the same time. I have noticed one or two of you lovely participants have already finished. Clearly the Wilkster is hard to resist.
So, hows it going? Is the Wilkie love contagious? I know I have certainly bought myself one (or two) of his other novels...
