THE WOMAN IN WHITE:- is a novel by Wilkie Collins. Published initially in a serial form under the title of All the Year Round, this novel was turned into book form in 1860. Highly appreciated for its plot and characterization, the novel brought Collins great name and fame. A decade later, he made it into a play. Inspired by an actual criminal case, this dramatic tale is told through multiple narrators. Widely considered as one of the earliest examples of crime fiction, this is the story of what a womans patience can endure, and what a mans resolution can achieve.
A long but very rewarding book, the Woman in White is densely plotted with a memorable cast of characters. The novel begins with Walter Hartrights encounter with The Woman in White on a moonlit London road. Soon, Walter is embroiled in the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his friend Count Fosco who is cunning, intelligent and extremely evil. He is also portrayed as a fascinating and dangerous villain, turning this novel as a blend of Gothic horror and psychological thriller. In short, it is a dark and chilling tale that readers will enjoy to the hilt.
About the Author
Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) was English novelist, master of the mystery story, and pioneer of detective fiction. Since his schoolboy days, Collins developed a gift for inventing tales. His first published work was Memoirs of the Life of William Collins, Esq., R.A. (1848) — a memoir to his father, who died in 1847. Shortly after, he wrote the Fall of Rome and Basil. Basil is regarded as a highly coloured tale of seduction and vengeance with a contemporary middle-class setting. No Name, Armadale, and The Moonstone are among his most successful subsequent books. In his later career, with a master of intricate plot construction and ingenious narrative technique, Collins turned from sensation fiction to fiction with a purpose. And the result was the writing of Man and Wife and Heart and Science.
