No Name (Penguin Classics)

“No Name,” by Wilkie Collins (1824-1889), a friend and oft-collaborator with Charles Dickens, is another splendid novel by a great novelist. Some scholars insist that Wilkie Collins was the man who invented the “detective stories.” I encourage readers – those who enjoy a good story told by a masterful writer - to purchase this volume and, indeed, all of Wilkie Collin’s novels. This is a good book with an attention-getting suspenseful drama, not as good as his “Moonstone” and “Lady in White,” or even “The Hunted Hotel,” all of which are superb dramas that begin with unusual episodes, but it is still good and an enjoyment to read. It is more of a legal and moral story, but it is suspenseful and attention-grapping and holding. The title “no name” describes two very nice girls who because of their parents’ “sin” are deprived of their name and legacy. The year is 1846 and the place England which had a law at that time that children of a couple who are not married to one another could not inherit from their parents. The law also stated that when someone marries his or her prior will loses its validity. The two girls in this story – one of whom is very strong-willed – were born while their father was married to another woman, but left her and lived with their mother. Their father is very rich. He left his estate in a will to his paramour and their two daughters. When he heard that his true wife died, he and his paramour rushed to marry. He died before he could write a new will. As a result of the antiquated English law, the marriage of their parents did not make the children legitimate and “the sins of the parents was visited upon their children,” they could not inherit. Under the law, the huge estate went to a man who hated the dead father and had been seeking revenge against him for what he considered a crime that he committed that affected him. The suspense in the drama focuses on what the two girls do and how their now penniless situation affects the proposed marriage of one of them, a marriage that was supposed to occur shortly.

Wilkie Collins writes a good, fast paced story. Even for today's readers, the plot is tense. Set in 19th century England, it will appeal to fans of Dickens and Austin, with drama, intrigue, unexpected twists and heartbreak. The English is clean and sharp. Not wanting to give away any of the plot, I will say only this. I found the characters complex and vivid, and the intensity of their drive or equally extreme lack of purpose, captivating, and maybe a little shocking. I was also struck by the author’s underlying premise about what was true and what was important. You can feel him stretching the principles of the society of his day, challenging them, and in the end, settling them a little differently. I highly recommend it.

This story is set in the 1840's and I beleive it was written about that time too. It is an interesting story about 2 wealthy sisters and their life struggles. A lot of twists and turns and some fabulous old descriptive words used - you will use the dictionary feature on almost every page! The story is long winded at times, sometimes over descriptive, but I could not put this one down, the characters were wonderful and they were described in great detail. It is a long story that will take you a while to get through, it has many twists and turns and sometimes you will not know where it is heading. I enjoyed every minute of it and I 'bonded' so much with the characters that I can see them in my head now. Captain Wragge and his 'party coloured eyes' makes your imagination work to its fullest.The language used and the character development make this a story that will stay with you for a long while to come. Highly recommend if you enjoy Jane Eyre type stories AND IT WAS FREE!

Victorian novelist Wilkie Collins is known today primarily for two novels, "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone." It's a shame some of his other works are not more readily available, for they are worth reading as well. A case in point is "No Name," written between his two masterpieces. "No Name" tells the story of two young women, Magdalen and Norah Vanstone, who lead a happy and comfortable life in the loving care of their parents and governess. Their idyllic existence is shattered by the sudden death of both their parents and the cruel realization that they have been disinherited. The older sister, Norah, accepts their change in situation with resignation and stoicism, and prepares for a new life as a governess. Magdalen, however, refuses to accept her fate, and becomes determined to recover their lost inheritance. She is assisted in her quest by Captain Wragge, a rather disreputable relation on her mother's side. Opposing them is a formidable woman named Mrs. Lecount. One of the most enjoyable parts of the book is the battle of wits between Wragge and Lecount as each tries to outmaneuver the other. Magdalen Vanstone was considered rather wicked by Victorian readers, but I'm not sure most modern readers would agree. While she's clearly willing to use unethical means to reverse what she, and I believe most people, would see as an injustice, she's not amoral. In fact, while the story may have been considered shocking at the time, I found it rather tame (although still highly enjoyable). Don't be put off by the length. "No Name is the type of novel that is best enjoyed when the reader allows it to unfold at its own pace. I realize Victorian literature isn't for everyone, but if you do like Victorian literature, relax and enjoy "No Name." You're in for a treat.

I didn't even know this novel existed until Amazon suggested it to me. My fault. BUT- I had a great time. Really strong feminist arguments presented here, and by a man, no less (gasp!) I only mention this because I usually hear way too much about jane austen, when it comes to feminist literature around the time of No Name. Well for those of you who don't know, Collins was a good friend of Dickens, and the narrative feels fairly similar- main character driven to action by the circumstances of life. Nothing too special in all of that. It was just nice to see a more...driven female lead for once, though. Oh, this is such a disorganized review. Two sisters find out that legally, they are bastard children who have no inheritance after the tragic death of their parents. Determined to find even a little bit of justice, one sister goes to get her money- the easy way, or the hard way- the uncle's choice. It takes you through a nice adventure of England. You meet many interesting, familiar characters/personalities. All of which are a bit conniving, a bit sweet, a bit ridiculous- it's great, they're all just so real. I honestly bought this out of the blue and was so surprised by how interesting it ended up being.

No Name (Oxford Classics Edition) by Wilkie Collins is absolutely amazing. Although I read The Moonstone The Woman and White (one of my favorite novels), and The Law and the Lady, I had no idea what to expect with this text. It primarily follows the formidable Magdalen Vanstone as she seeks to regain her inheritance. Her interactions with characters like Captain Wragge and Mrs. Lecount are thrilling. Even though this novel is about 600 pages, it is an engaging and truly enjoyable reading experience. In fact, No Name has become one of my favorite novels! Wilkie Collins creates a story with characters who have depth, a suspenseful plot with twists and surprises, and a satisfying ending. I highly, highly recommend No Name.

Quite interesting and readable, overly-descriptive in some parts about a variety of settings. Certainly not up there with 'The Woman in White' or 'The Moonstone' but then I didn't expect that! Overall, a worthwhile read.

I didn't expect to like this so much. For a novel written in this time period and at this length I expected that it would drag a bit but this is a real page turner and I couldn't wait to see what happened. Wonderful character and plot development. I read one other Wilkie Collins book, "the Woman in White" and it was good but not this good. The only other book of his I have heard of was "The Moonstone" and I haven't gotten to this yet. This is a great find for literature devotees like myself. I read contemporary stuff but always have something from the 18th-19th century on my Kindle and you can get the old stuff for free or practically for free!