Armadale by Wilkie Collins (February 6-25, 2004)
Wilkie Collins is a masterful storyteller, who controlled complicated plots with seeming ease. Armadale is one of his masterpieces. Although, he is best known for The Moonstone and The Woman in White, Armadale deserves equal acclaim.
Armadale is the name of four different men in this story, pairs of fathers and sons. The name is the key to fortunes, is a cause of shame, secrecy and holds all of the character motivations together. Each Allan Armadale has his own set of motivations that determine the course of novel’s events.
The drama and sensational aspects of the novel are woven perfectly to keep the reader on his or her toes. From the opening death bed confession, to a suicide attempt off a ship, to a dream which comes true little by little, you are left excited with what you will read next. The reader at times knows what to expect, but not when.
Ozias Midwinter at times works against what he believes to be his fate, and at other times is reconciled to what fate brings him. The young Allan Armadale is a generous and often foolish man who is powerless to persuasion. Along with Ozias, the most compelling character is Lydia Gwilt. She’s a heroine and villainess rolled into one. At times you sympathize with her as she is the most intelligent character and you want to see her succeed, and at other times you hate her and want her to fail. She’s both a criminal and temptress.
No character in the book is perfect; no one is purely good. This combination of motivation, secrets and good and bad in each character is what drives the novel and the reader to the final pages.
