n  «Questi uomini aspetteranno l’occasione giusta pazienti come gatti, e la coglieranno feroci come tigri.»n
Nel 1868, Wilkie William Collins (1824 – 1889) pubblica The Moonstone. Il romanzo esce a puntate a Londra su All the Year Round, il cui direttore è l’amico Charles Dickens.
È una narrazione a più voci, che racconta di un gioiello sacro rubato dopo la conquista di Seringapatam nel 1799, e trafugato in Inghilterra da un ufficiale infedele. Tre bramini, che hanno seguito il colonnello Herncastle in Inghilterra, tenteranno di recuperare la pietra e riportarla in India, al tempio del dio della Luna.
Il 21 giugno 1948, nello Yorkshire, presso la villa della famiglia Verinder, per il suo diciottesimo compleanno, Rachel, riceverà in regalo il gioiello......
Attraverso il racconto di alcuni protagonisti conosceremo i fatti e faremo conoscenza con una incredibile galleria di personaggi. Conosceremo così Lady Julia Verinder; Gabriel Betteredge, anziano servitore di casa Verinder e appassionato lettore di Robinson Crusoe; Franklin Blake e Godfrey Ablewhite, cugini di Rachel; Rosanna Spearman, cameriera, ex ladra, perdutamente innamorata di Franklin Blake; Miss Drusilla Clack, fanatica evangelizzatrice; il flemmatico Richard Cuff, sergente di Scotland Yard; Mr. Murthwaite, intrepido esploratore; il dottor Thomas Candy e il suo inappuntabile aiutante Ezra Jennings; e ancora tanti altri personaggi, tutti impeccabili rappresentanti della moralità Vittoriana.
Oltre cinquecento godibilissime pagine di avventura, intrighi e storie d’amore...
Cogliendo il graditissimo suggerimento di @Giò (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), sono andato a rivedere la prima puntata dello sceneggiato prodotto dalla rai nel ’72, e diretto da... (i vecchi lo ricorderanno, con un sorriso e tanta gratitudine) Anton Giulio Majano. Che meraviglia! Quando la Rai ancora ci... imparava le cose.
«Detto questo, è stato detto tutto. Signore e signori, mi inchino davanti a voi, e termino la storia»...

4.5 stars, rounding up, for this 1868 Victorian-era mystery, often considered the first English-language detective novel. Wilkie Collins spins a literary web that starts out slowly but then inexorably pulls you in; I finished the last half of the book in one extended readathon. He has a gift for writing as vastly different characters, who each take a turn telling or writing their part of the story, and a droll, sometimes very sarcastic sense of humor.

In 1799 a British soldier steals a large yellow diamond from a Hindu statute in India, ruthlessly killing three Indian men protecting the statue, and earning himself a curse from one of them in the process. He gets a bad reputation as a result and is shunned by his extended family in England. So when he dies, he leaves the Moonstone to his niece Rachel (whose mother refused to receive him as a guest in her home), knowing he's leaving her not only a 30,000 pound fortune in the jewel, but also a load of potential trouble: there's not just the amorphous curse, but three Indian men who have been following the owners of the Moonstone for years and are determined to steal it back, one way or another.

Rachel's relative Franklin Blake is entrusted with bringing her the diamond for her 18th birthday, and falls in love with her as he gets to know her over several days. The Indians are lurking, looking for their chance to grab their gem. Rachel wears the Moonstone at a dinner party the night of her birthday, puts the jewel in a drawer in her bedroom ... and the next morning it's gone. The odd thing is, it looks like an inside job. The bumbling local police are of little help, and even the renowned outside detective, the estimable Sergeant Cuff, is unable to bring the case to a satisfactory conclusion, though part of the problem is that several people aren't cooperating with him.

Wilkie Collins doesn't try all that hard to hide the villain in the tale, but the "how" is fascinatingly revealed over the last half of the book. I don't think Wilkie was particularly interested in giving readers all of the clues; this isn't really a mystery that is supposed to be solved by readers before the big reveal, in my opinion (the final reveal of exactly what went down that fateful night pretty much comes out of left field, though there are a few clues in the story). He's more interested in telling an exciting story, and he pulls just about everything into the mix: a massive jewel, star-crossed love, people hiding things for their own reasons, a servant with a highly suspicious past, dangerous quicksand, and a loyal servant with an amusing and rather touching devotion to Robinson Crusoe, which he treats as a sort of Bible. Better him than Rachel's cousin Drusilla Clack, an annoying Christian evangelist given to preaching and leaving tracts with titles like "Satan in the Hair Brush" around people's homes!

This proto-detective novel does get a little slow at times - Victorian authors typically weren't in a hurry to tell their stories, especially when they were serialized in magazines, like this one was. But once the storyline really started moving along in the second half I thought it was a great read. Bonus points for handling the Indian subplot in a manner that's unusually sensitive for books written in the Victorian age.

You get what you deserve in this book! Steal a big moonstone (read: diamond!) from a moon god statute, and you will get what you deserve. John Herncastle's family certainly did. His unlucky niece inherited that very large stone. . .

From there we have a birthday parties, romance, a smoking cessation program, Indian (East) Jugglers, quicksand, suicide, murders, opium, lawyers, an embezzler and a moneylender. Oh, yeah. And Moon God revenge. Don't forget that.

There's gotta be a movie of this. Will be looking for it. . . .

La piedra lunar me supone un regreso a un terreno conocido y antiguo. Mi pasión por la lectura tiene su origen en las docenas de novelas que leí de niño sobre personajes tales como Hércules Poirot, el padre Brown o Sherlock Holmes. En esos libros siempre buscabas el misterio, la historia, el final en la última página con un asesino inédito. Todo lo demás casi daba igual. Te daban unas pistas y en un tiempo casi siempre breve y a veces con algún atajo, el autor te llevaba a un final con fuegos artificiales y traca final. Lo que nunca me preocupé de conocer es que W. Collins había tenido una influencia tan grande sobre esos dos monstruos como fueron Agatha Christie y Conan Doyle.

Creo que las historias breves de Poe le sirvieron de referencia a Collins, pero este pasó a enriquecer absolutamente la narración de misterio: dota a los protagonistas de carácter, alma y personalidad propia, se demora con ellos en algún punto, en alguna descripción. No son ya meros instrumentos para construir una trama, debo reconocer que eso es lo que les faltaba a las narraciones de las que hablaba y que finalmente me acabaron fatigando. Collins ya arma novelas con entramados cruzados y bien tejidas.

“Las últimas luces del crepúsculo se diluían, y a todo lo largo del paisaje se extendía una
calma terriblemente silenciosa. El jadeo del mar, junto al banco de arena, fuera de la bahía,
era un rumor ahogado. El mar interior se perdió en la sombra, sin que el más leve soplo de
viento agitase su superficie. Asquerosos montones de limo de una tonalidad blancuzcoamarillenta sobrenadaban en las aguas muertas. Fango y espuma brillaban débilmente en ciertos lugares (…).”
 
Algo así es lo que les faltaba a esas narraciones. Esa es para mí la gran contribución al género.
 
Otra novedad de peso es la forma de ir construyendo el relato a base de aportaciones del testimonio de cada protagonista de forma sucesiva, en parte matizando y corrigiendo la versión de los anteriores protagonistas, permitiendo que sea el lector el que elija la versión que más credibilidad le dé de todas y vaya construyendo la historia.

Usa un arma importante como es el humor y la ironía como parte del relato, se mete en contexto de la historia sin prisas, con un poco de gracia a veces, demorándose en circunstancias que no tienen que ver con el misterio en pro de una buena narración. Otras veces como digo usa el humor de forma abierta y franca. A mitad de la novela hay una correspondencia entre la beata Sra. Clark y F. Blake desternillante, o las denominaciones de las asociaciones de mujeres cristianas piadosas a las que pertenece esta Sra. Clark en sí mismas son grandiosas: “Liga de Madres para la Confección de Pantalones Cortos” o bien “Sociedad Supervisora de los Amantes Dominicales de las Criadas de las Damas Británicas”
 
Otra novedad que aporta Collins:  las aficiones y peculiaridades de los protagonistas, dándoles un toque pintoresco. Aquí el investigador sargento Cuff cultiva rosas, prueba e injerta distintos tipos de rosas y es su pasión. El mismo Lorenzo Silva actualmente le da a su protagonista Belvilaqua la afición por el pintado de soldaditos de plomo, Chesterton en El hombre que sabía demasiado, le da al prota el hobby de la pesca, Sherlock Holmes (aparte de morfinómano) toca el violín… Todos tienen un toque peculiar y una afición calmada y alejada del trajín que supone la resolución de crímenes y misterios. Ese choque siempre va bien, es interesante el contraste.
 
Las historias policiales, ya se sabe que la mayoría de las veces son muy alambicadas y las más de las veces poco creíbles, pero es parte del género. El mismo Raymond Chadler fabricaba unas historias y unos comportamientos de sus protagonistas ciertamente curiosos, pero el estilo era tan bueno… tan envolvente, que les perdonabas todo y había que entrar en la propuesta. Aquí ocurre lo mismo, prevalece la buena narrativa.

Jar of Death Pick #32

3.5 Stars

Well it took a while but I finished it!

The Moonstone is a classic that you dont hear much about. Despite its literary significance. The Moonstone is considered by most people to be the first detective novel. Written in 1868 The Moonstone is the lesser known of Wilkie Collins works, with the best known being The Woman in White(which is also on my TBR). But to many The Moonstone is considered his greatest work.

In it's time The Moonstone was considered both controversial and surprisingly progressive. The novel deals with drug addiction, the treatment of women and its known for its respectful(for its time)portrayal of Indians(from India).

It took me sometime to read this book but dont let that make you think that this book isn't good. I enjoyed my time reading it but I just needed to read it when I was in the proper mood for it. This isn't easy leasure reading. This book required my full attention, I couldn't read while listening to music or with the tv on. I need to focus to pick up all the subtle clues.

I can't wait to reread this book in a couple of years. I have a feeling that I might raise my rating to 4 stars.

Recommended to new and old classics lovers.

The Moonstone was probably as much a study in characters as it was a detective story, because the narrative by half a dozen persons, albeit being very distinctive in tone and style, was written unnecessarily long and mendearing and most of the time had little to do with the central mystery, but more with the people themselves. It was skillfully done, still I couldn't help to sometimes jump over paragraphs. Perhaps if some of them hadn't irritated me so much with their annoying prejudices bordered on mysogny (I know, I know it's Victorian era, but Ms Clark's was insufferable and the butler's was not amusing to me), perhaps if the view taken on the native, original owners of the jewel who just wanted their sacred artifact stolen from them back as dark, sinister, alien thief, savage murderer, criminal, blabla was not overdone, maybe if the experiment to solve the mystery by the end made more sense, I might liked this first detective novel more. Well, at least the Indian people got their jewel back.

“I am (thank God!) constitutionally superior to reason. [...] Profit, good friends, I beseech you, by my example. It will save you from many troubles of the vexing sort. Cultivate a superiority to reason, and see how you pare the claws of all the sensible people when they try to scratch you for your own good!”

I've wanted to read it since I read The D. Case or The Truth About The Mystery Of Edwin Drood and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I've discovered a new favourite author. Right now, I am perfectly and delightfully happy. And the final essay by T. S. Eliot delighted my literature-student crave for a little literary history.

Moonstone is considered to be the first detective novel. The book is easy to get into, unlike some other novels of the time. We learn of the history of the Moonstone and its value, so when it mysteriously disappears, all our suspects. Call in the famous Sergeant Cuff and as his sidekick we have Gabriel Betteredge, a respected servant who always seems to get the right advice when he opens up his much used copy of Robinson Crusoe.
This book kept me interested throughout. My chief complaint is that at times I found it to be too repetitive as details are rehashed, as we are learning all the clues from multiple points of view.
This book is definitely historically significant to our modern day detective novels. The similarities are remarkable. All in all, a very enjoyable book. I definitely plan to read The Woman in White after reading this one.

T.S. Eliot opinaba que La piedra lunar era “la primera, la más larga y la mejor de las novelas británicas contemporáneas de detectives.” No tengo los conocimientos suficientes para rebatirlo, pero la primera afirmación es un tema bastante discutido y en la actualidad la mayoría opina que “la primera” fue El misterio de Notting Hill, de Charles Warren Adams. Lo que sí es más que probable es que esta de Collins sea la que tuvo una influencia decisiva en lo que vino después.

Con las 784 páginas que tiene mi edición, probablemente calificarla como “la más larga” sea correcto, aunque esto poco tenga que ver con la calidad de la obra y sí con la manera en que fue escrita y publicada, por entregas en All the Year Round, el semanario de Charles Dickens.

Sobre si fue o no “la mejor” habrá millones de opiniones. Me atrevería a decir que en su momento sí lo fue. Lo de menos es la trama, la intriga por saber quién robó la joya no es lo que engancha, ni es nada extraordinaria para el lector, al menos para el actual. Los giros son los típicos, el misterio no deja de enredarse hasta llegar al desenlace, que no creo que sea tampoco demasiado sorprendente.

La principal virtud de la novela es su forma: ocho partes, cada una escrita por un personaje o testigo diferente: un miembro del servicio, Gabriel Betteredge, que tiene una fe ciega en que toda la verdad se encuentra en Robinson Crusoe; la beata e insufrible prima Clack; el sargento Cuff, aficionado al cultivo de rosas… los distintos narradores se hacen referencias cruzadas, se dirigen al lector y buscan su complicidad en un relato que en este sentido resulta sorprendentemente moderno y bien llevado, dándole a cada uno una voz propia e inconfundible, sus narracinoes son interesadas, subjetivas, y por lo tanto poco fiables. Collins dice en el prólogo que la presente historia trata de analizar la influencia que ejerce la personalidad sobre las circunstancias.
Los personajes (los secundarios, la pareja principal es tan sosa y plana que diría que puede que su existencia sea puro sarcasmo) son interesantes, excéntricos y atractivos, aunque me ha faltado aquí un villano comparable al enorme, en todos los sentidos, conde Fosco de La dama de blanco.

Además, toda la novela rezuma ironía y refleja estupendamente la hipocresía de la sociedad victoriana.

Por tanto, las (escasas) tres estrellas se deben solo a mi gusto personal, la novela es entretenida, el misterio está bien llevado, la narración es ágil y aguanta el ritmo razonablemente bien durante sus cientos de páginas, pero en el fondo no deja de ser un folletín algo melodramático, con todo lo malo (y bueno) que eso lleva consigo.

3/5/2020: Once again a much-enjoyed classic mystery. Whew! I’d forgotten there were so many intricate details in this one! I don’t love it as dearly as The Woman in White, but it’s still an entertaining and twisty mystery that has a lot of neat to it.

Content: a few swears; suicide; murder; opium

Mr Betteridge would be very disappointed in me as I have never read Robinson Crusoe and I should have read this book long since.

It was wonderfully crafted and put together with delicious twists and turns. So many characters and situations, yet you care for the characters. They are delightful and even the villains are not truly villainous. I loved this book.

The best thing about a classic book is that the author dissects out, and lays before you bare, all the thoughts and feelings of the characters. This not only helps you understand the story better, but it lets you make a bond with the characters; all irrespective of whether the genre of the story is crime or drama or romance. If you'll read The Moonstone, you'll come across how the author describes the French, German and Italian aspects of an important character's personality, this in itself goes to show that the author has a very acute understanding of the human nature.

Wilkie Collins was a gifted author, indeed! The way of writing, in the form of narratives of different persons, is really captivating. The Moonstone became a little slow in the middle, but overall the pace was quite satisfactory.

Some people call this book the first detective fiction to be written, though I don't know whether there is any truth in this, but The Moonstone is definitely one of the best detective books of the pre-Conan era.