خود داستان اینقدر جذاب هست و ترجمه آنقدر لحن‌گردانی دارد که چاپ بد و پرغلط و طرح جلد نامناسب کتاب را ببخشیم. ترجمه‌ی منوچهر بدیعی در این کتاب از تمام ترجمه‌های چاپ‌شده‌اش بهتر است. اول که لحن و مصطلحات و نواخت روایت هر فصل را متناسب با حال‌و‌هوای شخصیت راوی آن ساخته —چه وکیلی سودازده باشد چه خدمتکاری که نستعلیق حرف می‌زند چه دختر عفیف متشرع مجردی؛ دوم که هر کدام اینها در ابتدای کار سعی در پنهان کردن نیات و کنش‌هایی دارند که بدون اشراف بر این ظرائف ترجمه می‌توانست نفهمیدنی و غلط از آب در بیاید و اینجاست که معلوم می‌شود مترجم درجه‌یک رمان مثل ابوالحسن نجفی یا دریابندری باید قصه‌شناس هم باشد؛ سوم هم اینکه در بعضی ترجمه‌های پیشین گاهی سطح لغات متن ناهمخوان میشد ولی اینجا در حد مونولوگهایی زیبا و تئاتری به فراخور آدمها پرداخته شده و آدم کیف می‌کند.

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The Moonstone was published in 1868 and is considered by most people to be the first detective novel. Given the novels place in the history of the genre, that alone should put this book on most people's reading lists. To sweeten the pot, the plot is compelling, the last hundred pages I couldn't have put the book down for anything. I was caught up in the case and wanted to find out the why and the who in the mysterious circumstances surrounding the MOONSTONE.

The novel is narrated by several different people. My favorite was Gabriel Betteredge, the head servant at the Verinder house, who becomes a reluctant Watson for Detective Cuff during the investigation. He is a man convinced in the spiritual guidance of Robinson Crusoe and believes that any disruption in his life can be explained by reading and interpreting passages from his dogeared copy of Defoe's classic.

"In this anxious frame of mind, other men might have ended by working themselves up into a fever; I ended in a different way. I lit my pipe, and took a turn at Robinson Crusoe."

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Betteredge is a man of his age and his views on women I found so ridiculous as to actually laugh out loud.

"It is a maxim of mine that men (being superior creatures) are bound to improve women-if they can. When a woman wants me to do anything I always insist on knowing why. The oftener you make them rummage their own minds for a reason, the more manageable you will find them in all the relations of life. It isn't their fault (poor wretches!) that they act first, and think afterwards; it's the fault of the fools who humour them."

Despite his archaic views, Betteredge proves to be a good assistant to the enigmatic Sergeant Cuff. Cuff's eyes had such intensity, "looking as if they expected something more from you than you were aware of yourself." Wilkie Collins based his character Sergeant Cuff on a real celebrated Victorian Detective Inspector Jack Whicher.

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Sergeant Cuff is summoned from London to investigate the disappearance of the Moonstone, and despite the reluctance of the household to help him in his investigations, he does come up with a theory (kept from us) that proves in the final pages of the book that he is worthy of his reputation. Cuff is as equally interested in the rose gardens (he has strong opinions) as he is in the crime he is investigating. "grass walkways never gravel" Collins does a great job putting flesh on the bones of the characters. We learn more about every major character than is necessary for the advancement of the plot. By the end of the novel I had the feeling that I was not only closing the cover on a great book, but also leaving behind some dear friends.

Another narrator, that I was not fond of, in fact, she made my skin crawl is Drusilla Clack. A cousin of the family, Drusilla, with her tendency to eavesdrop and make herself in all ways intrusive on her family and "friends" is a born again christian. The novel is set in 1848 and the term born again was not in use until much later, but she fits the profile. She was determined to save everyone and carried about her person tracts of her hero Miss Jane Ann Stamper. Once she has invaded a house she would leave tracts scattered about in places where people would eventually find them, and hopefully receive the edification that Drusilla felt they needed.

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She seemed like this on first appearances.

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But like Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer she would pounce on people, not for blood, but for a chance to save their immortal souls.


As I have mentioned, all the characters are well developed and Drusilla is no exception. She is a person, that after a previous encounter, you would go to great lengths to keep her from buttonholing you again.

This book delivers. You will not be disappointed. If I read it again I will put on a kettle of good English tea, light some candles, and tuck myself into an armchair, suspending myself as well as I can back into a Victorian age. I had such a great time I will certainly be reading more Wilkie Collins.

"You are welcome to be as merry as you please over everything else I have written. But when I write of Robinson Crusoe, by the Lord it's serious-and I request you to take it accordingly!"

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The Moonstone is known as the first detective novel*, and it's a cracking one. You can see things invented here that were directly borrowed by future writers: Holmes' overconfidence (and his use of London urchins as agents); Agatha Christie's exploration of narrative reliability.

* as opposed to Poe's Dupin, which was the first detective story - I know, we're splitting hairs.

And if the mystery's not enough for you, how about mysterious Oriental cultures? Romance? Quicksand?* Opium? This is a ludicrously entertaining book, almost on the level of Count of Monte Cristo for sheer kicks.

* Things I Was Super On The Watch For When I Was A Kid And It Turns Out They Are Not Actually Things
- Alligators
- Amnesia
- Chloroform-soaked rags
- Razors in apples
- Steamrollers
- Quicksand

It shares with Collins' other masterpiece, The Woman in White, a preoccupation with narrative - from different sources, in different voices, with varying motives and degrees of reliability. Like Woman in White, it's set up like a court case: a series of witnesses come forward to tell their part of the story in more or less chronological order, while commenting on (and insulting) each other's narratives. Many characters also cite other texts: Betteredge is obsessed with Robinson Crusoe; Miss Clack carts around a variety of religious tracts, all of which are made up, which sucks because how badly do you want to read "Satan in the Hairbrush" and "A Word With You On Your Cap Ribbons"? Pretty bad, man - and finally, Ezra Jennings will cite De Quincey's landmark drug memoir Memoirs of an Opium Eater.

Which, by the way: unlike Woman in White (1860), The Moonstone (1868) was written while Collins was deep in the throes of a laudanum addiction, and the whole thing can be seen as, more or less, about opium.

Also unlike Woman in White, which features one of my all-time favorite female heroines, the diamond-sharp Miss Halcombe, The Moonstone has an awkward relationship to women. Many of its narrators are prone to statements like this:

"Men (being superior creatures) are bound to improve women - if they can. When a woman wants me to do anything, I always insist on knowing why. The oftener you make them rummage their own minds for a reason, the more manageable you will find them in all the relations of life.

The first couple times you see stuff like this you can figure Collins means for you to laugh at it - but after like ten different people say things along similar lines, you do start to wonder a little.

Woman in White just edges out Moonstone for me as my favorite Collins. Its characters - Miss Halcombe and the mighty Count Fosco - are more indelible than Moonstone's. But The Moonstone includes a thinly disguised Richard Burton, as well as the terrifically bitchy Miss Clack...look, here's my secret: I like Collins better than his buddy Dickens. This book is a gang of fun.

اولین، طولانی ترین و بهترین اثر در میان رمان های کارآگاهی انگلیسی.  
  "T. S. Eliot"
به سختی باورم می‌شه که قرن نوزدهم نوشته شده! سیر معمایی داستان کشش لازم رو داشت و وجود راوی‌های متفاوت باعث شدند داستان برام جذاب باشه

The narrative structure is similar to that of The Woman in White with Mr Franklin Blake taking a role similar to that of Mr Walter Hartright, and collecting witness accounts from people concerned with the “scandal”.

These witness accounts are from first person point of view and thoroughly interesting to read. I was ensnared by this mystery.

The eponymous diamond, the Moonstone was like a character in its own right. It had its hold on people.

A twist came in the second half of the novel which I was not expecting and was completely enthralled by it.

The characters were unique and colourful. Some of their characteristics and narratives were quite humorous. (I have a new found respect for Robinson Crusoe)

Reading this book was like putting together pieces of a puzzle and it resulted in a similar satisfaction in the end. There were no loose ends. Every action in this suspense was accounted for, and explained. And oh, such fun was the journey we took with these characters!

Strongly recommended!

3.5 stars for this overly long classic/mystery novel by Collins. The second half of the novel picked up in pace but the foreshadowing left little doubt about the outcome. The writing is good, it saves the book really. I have previously read "The Woman in White"' which I liked more, but this book has secured it's position in the canon of English Literature.

862.tThe Moonstone, Wilkie Collins
The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel, generally considered the first full length detective novel in the English language.
The Moonstone tells of the events surrounding the disappearance of a mysterious (and cursed) yellow diamond. T. S. Eliot called it 'the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels'. It contains a number of ideas which became common tropes of the genre, including a crime being investigated by talented amateurs who happen to be present when it is committed, and two police officers who exemplify respectively the 'Scotland Yard bungler' and the skilled, professional detective.
Characters: Franklin Blake, Rachel Verinder, Godfrey Ablewhite, Gabriel Betteredge, Rosanna Spearman, Drusilla Clack, Mathew Bruff, Lady Verinder, Sergeant Cuff, Dr. Candy, Ezra Jennings, Octavius Guy, Penelope Betteredge.
عنوان­ها: س‍ن‍گ‌ م‍اه؛ الماس شوم؛ ماه­سنگ؛ ماه الماس؛ نویسنده: ویلکی کالینز؛ انتشاراتیها: (سنبله، مجرد، عطایی، نشر مرکز)؛ ادبیات قرن نوزدهم؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: دوم ماه دسامبر سال 2006 میلادی
عنوان یک: الماس‌ شوم (سنگ ماه)، نویسنده: ویلکی کالینز؛ مترجم: مهین قهرمان، نشر: ت‍ه‍ران، عطائی، 1384، در 364 ص.، ‏فروست: موسسه انتشارات عطائی، 649، رم‍ان، 48، شابک: 9789643136482
عنوان دو: ماهسنگ، مترجم: حمیدرضا ضرابی، نشر: مشهد، سنبله، 1383، در 107 ص،؛
عنوان سه: سنگ ماه (متن کوتاه شده)، مترجم: مهین دانشور، رمان پلیسی: ادبیات جهان برای جوانان، نشر: تهران، نشر مرکز، کتاب مریم‏، 1376، در 208 ص، مصور. يادداشت: چاپ قبلی: مجرد، 1363؛
این رمان به صورت پیوسته در مجله‌ ای به سرپرستی چارلز دیکنز منتشر می‌شد و نخستین بار در سال 1868 میلادی به صورت کتاب در انگلستان به چاپ رسید. رمان ماه‌ الماس در کنار رمان زن سفیدپوش از بهترین رمان‌های ویلکی کالینز به حساب می‌آیند. تی. اس. الیوت شاعر و نمایشنامه‌ نویس آمریکایی، در مقدمه‌ ای بر رمان ماه‌ الماس، آنرا «نخستین، بلندترین و بهترین رمان پلیسی مدرن انگلیسی» خوانده است. این کتاب در ایران در سالهای مختلف توسط ناشرین‌ متفاوت، تحت عنوان­های: «س‍ن‍گ‌ م‍اه» و «الماس شوم» و «ماه­سنگ» و «ماه الماس» منتشر شده است. رمان ماه‌ الماس را انتشارات نیلوفر در سال 1394 هجری خورشیدی با ترجمه منوچهر بدیعی به فارسی منتشر کرده است. ا. شربیانی

Holy shit! This was actually funny and I was not expecting that at all.
It was a serialized story, so it tends to ramble in places and not wrap up as quickly as it probably would have otherwise. However, it didn't feel tedious or drawn out like some of those stories do. This was truly entertaining. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves locked-door mysteries because this one definitely stands the test of time.
The book is told by four different narrators who have been asked by Franklin Blake to write what they were witnesses to in regard to the crime. Franklin himself had inadvertently become deeply embroiled in the mysterious disappearance of the Moonstone and was looking to record the hijinks for posterity.



My favorite voice is that of Gabriel Betteredge. He's an elderly and much-beloved servant who has been in service to this family all of his life. He's loyal to a fault, and a truly humorous narrator in that grumpy but loveable old man way. The descriptions of his marriage made me laugh out loud, and his certainty that his favorite book, Robinson Crusoe, held the answers to all of life's problems was endearing.
And also made me realize that I need to read Robinson Crusoe.



Drusilla Clack is our second narrator. She's a hilariously accurate busybody who lives her life for the church. She spends her days handing out unwanted Bible tracts, giving unwanted advice, and drooling over Rachel's cousin (and rebuffed suitor), Godfrey Ablewhite. Godfrey is that guy. You know, the one who champions all the women's charities and basks in the worship of all the local spinsters.
Oh god. He's awful but in the absolute best way possible for a story like this.
Collins added in so many funny little extras that I wasn't expecting and they caught me off guard because so many of these older classics tend to be so dry.
For example, Miss Clack annoys one man so much that he starts cursing, then she proceeds to hand him a tract on swearing called Hush for Heaven's Sake. I loved that! Mostly because it makes you realize that people aren't really all that different now than they were back then. It's nice to know that the Drucilla Clacks of the world have always been universally...avoided.



Mr. Bruff is the family's solicitor, loyal champion during some hard times, and the third narrator of the tale. He's not as funny to listen to as the first two narrators, but he's a very likable guy.
You feel like you are getting the real story from him.



Ezra Jennings is the 4th narrator. He's Doctor Candy's foreign assistant with the dark and mysterious past and a heart of gold. This is the guy who's got the clue no one else has and his information may just crack the case wide open.



Each of these people tells what they know through their firsthand experiences with the events surrounding the theft of the Moonstone.
Now, underneath all of this mystery is a love story between a guy, Franklin, who is on the cusp of getting his shit together (but still has a few debts to pay off), and a girl, Rachel, who is so up her own ass with her version of morals that I kind of wanted to smack her. But they love each other and you're rooting for those two silly kids to get together and balance each other out.



Ok, so the gist is that Colonel Herncastle murdered some holy men in India and stole their sacred Moonstone while a battle was raging. Nobody could prove what he did, but everyone knew. And the end result was that his family turned their backs on him. So while he had the jewel, he lost all credibility and had to slink off into a dirty corner somewhere.
Fast forward toward the end of his life, and because he's a complete fucktard, he wills it to his niece in the hopes that it ruins her life as it did his, therefore taking his final revenge on his sister. <--who had had enough of his shit by the time he killed the holy men.



When this dude finally keels over, it kicks off an entire circus of crazy events that somehow interconnect in random ways to make for one of the best classic mysteries that I've ever read.
As I was listening to it there were so many things that seemed like one thing, but by the end of the book that part of the story was revealed to be something else entirely.



This? This is one of those books that I'll be recommending to my friends. A lot.

⭐️ امتیاز ۳.۵

I loved this. The writing style is brilliant. While it’s a long classic everything adds up at the end, and I liked how it all came together and the outcome of the mystery. Despite its length, I couldn’t see anything unnecessary in the story. I loved that Collins once again used different perspectives for weaving the mystery. I especially loved the voices of Mr Betterage and Mr Franklin. I was also impressed with how much I cared for every one of the characters – secondary characters included! It was incredibly suspenseful. I craved the answers to the mystery and had to keep turning pages. Ultimately, I found the ending incredibly satisfying which is exactly what you want at the end of a mystery book. I liked how it had themes of the foreign vs the nation, honesty, love, betrayal, and money all tied up in the storyline. I will definitely read more Collins in future.

Original review: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2021/0...

The flyleaf says I bought this book in September 2003, and I’ve finally read it in the same month of 2020. The good thing about classics is that it doesn’t much matter when you get around to them, although I do wonder why I let this one languish for so long.

The so-called “earliest and best detective story” doesn’t present a huge riddle to the modern reader, but it’s still a very enjoyable book to curl up with, due to Collins’ host of unreliable or semi-reliable narrators and the unmistakable glamour of a narrative with a yellow diamond, a country house, and an Indian curse at its core.

Beautiful Rachel Verinder is given the moonstone as a barbed birthday present: a trio high-caste Indian hit men follow the diamond to her Yorkshire estate, and the very night she receives it, it disappears from her bedroom. Witnesses tell their tales and family try to piece together what happened that night, while the family slides into dysfunction. There is a housemaid who is a reformed thief, a butler (spoiler: he didn’t do it) who takes spiritual guidance from Robinson Crusoe, the newfangled concept of the police detective. There are laudanum addicts, fences, mistresses. There is quicksand.

The structure is both the book’s strength and its weakness, with different sections narrated by different witnesses. In the beginning, this is a definite virtue, as the two witnesses with the longest sections are true eccentrics and enjoyable heads to inhabit: faithful family retainer and Crusoe afficionado Gabriel Betteredge and self-righteous Drusilla Clack, who has an improving religious tract for every occasion. Later sections are narrated by a range of respectable men, and are accordingly less entertaining (although at this point the mystery swings into high gear, so there’s more fun to be had from the plot); they are the kind of characters who know, intrinsically, if a new acquaintance is “a gentleman” or not.

I feel like The Moonstone has aged very well. Although many of the hallmarks of Victorian melodrama are there, they are also subtly subverted: has the Moonstone really been stolen from Miss Verinder, if it was itself stolen from the head of the statue of an Indian god, and before that stolen from others? A housemaid declares, rather scandalously, that the adored heiress at the centre of the mystery wouldn’t be thought half so pretty if she wasn’t dressed up in beautiful clothes. Religion is never far from hypocrisy.

All in all, a wondeful book for the end of the holidays.

3,5