The New Magdalen Wilkie Collins Books
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The New Magdalen (1873) by Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) is a story of identity-theft and battle with a bad conscience, complicated by social etiquette and tremors of strong emotion. It has been criticized as Wilkie Collins's most polemical book with a mission and has remained one of his more obscure works. It belongs to the latter period of his career when, it is often argued, his creative genius had runs it course and been replaced by an enthusiasm to lecture on social ills - this time on the miserable lot of the 'fallen woman' and the hypocrisy of the polite society. PLOT SUMMARY Mercy Merrick has been tricked into the tragic life of a woman of the streets, after a childhood with strolling players and gypsies. She struggles to rehabilitate herself, inspired by a sermon given by a young clergyman, Julian Gray, in the refuge where she was living. Working as a volunteer nurse in the Franco-German war of 1870, she meets Grace Roseberry, a penniless but well-connected and respectable young woman. When Grace is apparently killed by a German shell, Mercy assumes her identity. Armed with a letter of introduction to Grace's relation by marriage, Lady Janet Roy, she is helped to reach England by Horace Holmcroft, a war correspondent and acquaintance of Lady Roy. Mercy is warmly welcomed and becomes her companion and adopted daughter. With Lady Roy's approval, she becomes engaged to Horace. Grace is not dead, however, since her life has been saved by a German brain surgeon. She returns to England and is introduced to Lady Roy by Julian Gray, but lacking the evidence to back up her claim, is rejected as an imposter. Mercy is about to confess but is antagonised by Grace's vengeful, unforgiving nature. Grace is deemed insane and is about to be confined in an asylum when Mercy once more comes under the influence of Julian Gray, who falls in love with her, and she finally admits her deception. Horace breaks off their engagement while Grace accepts £500 as a bribe for her silence and leaves for Canada. Lady Roy, genuinely fond of Mercy, tries unsuccessfully to persuade her to remain as companion. At first Mercy refuses to marry Julian, in order not to ruin his career and social position. However, he becomes seriously ill and when he recovers Mercy finally agrees to marry him. Rejected by society, they sail to the New World to start life afresh.
The New Magdalen Wilkie Collins Books
I've read a lot of Wilkie Collins, and I have to say this is not one of his best. It was okay, as long as you are able to ignore certain inconsistencies. But I was very disappointed in his character development. The only two characters that he bothered to actually delve into were Lady Janet and Mercy Merrick. Everyone else behaved like a caricature of whatever part of society they represented. Grace Roseberry's character was slightly fleshed out in the beginning, but instead of further fleshing her out when he had the opportunity, Collins turned her into a vile woman who apparently had forgotten about the hardships she spoke of in first chapter.Put plainly, this novel requires a great suspension of disbelief. Part of the plot just don't add up. In the beginning, it is discovered that a woman who has stopped breathing for a very long time can be revived. Though her physical health suffers, she's as mentally acute as before. That is downright impossible, to go half an hour without oxygen and suffer no brain damage. Also, he had one character writing another character, but how he could have ever obtained her address or she his is impossible to fathom. They met once, contentiously, then she left the country almost immediately. There was no way he could have even known what country she had gone to. Little things like that bother me, but maybe you can suspend your disbelief better. It might be because Collins couldn't make me like the main character that I'm finding all these reasons to pick the plot apart, but Collins has written better, by far.
But, hey, it's free, so take your chances on whether you'll like it.
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The New Magdalen Wilkie Collins Books Reviews
A must-read for Wilkie Collins fans
Get yourself into a 19th mindset and you will enjoy this novel. Not quite up there with Wilkie Collins best, nevertheless an intriguing read.
I love this book! It's about a young woman named Mercy who assumes the identity of a war-victim in order to make a new start on a troubled and unhappy life. In a time where a good written character is everything, Mercy is able to obtain a job as a companion to a kind old lady by using the dead woman's papers. But is the woman dead? Mercy soon discovers her new start on life may turn into a disaster of broken trust and broken hearts.
I really liked this story. Sin, regret, repentance and redemption - summary. It always fascinates me. Great reading!
Excellent story regarding something as 'modern' (or is it?) as identity theft. Nicely written development of the main characters against the background of a narrowminded and strict society. Enjoyed reading it very much.
This book is the story of a "fallen woman" who has a chance to make a fresh start in life by assuming the identity of a dead "lady". OK, it's not much of a spoiler to say that she does take the chance.... and that her deceit eventually catches up with her. I thought Collins did a fine character study here and his sympathetic portrayal of the heroine, in contrast to the "lady", was probably controversial at the time this novel was written. The writing and plot construction are good except for a long digression near the end in which the heroine recounts the entire sad story of her childhood and life before the opening of the novel. Recommended.
I've read a lot of Wilkie Collins, and I have to say this is not one of his best. It was okay, as long as you are able to ignore certain inconsistencies. But I was very disappointed in his character development. The only two characters that he bothered to actually delve into were Lady Janet and Mercy Merrick. Everyone else behaved like a caricature of whatever part of society they represented. Grace Roseberry's character was slightly fleshed out in the beginning, but instead of further fleshing her out when he had the opportunity, Collins turned her into a vile woman who apparently had forgotten about the hardships she spoke of in first chapter.
Put plainly, this novel requires a great suspension of disbelief. Part of the plot just don't add up. In the beginning, it is discovered that a woman who has stopped breathing for a very long time can be revived. Though her physical health suffers, she's as mentally acute as before. That is downright impossible, to go half an hour without oxygen and suffer no brain damage. Also, he had one character writing another character, but how he could have ever obtained her address or she his is impossible to fathom. They met once, contentiously, then she left the country almost immediately. There was no way he could have even known what country she had gone to. Little things like that bother me, but maybe you can suspend your disbelief better. It might be because Collins couldn't make me like the main character that I'm finding all these reasons to pick the plot apart, but Collins has written better, by far.
But, hey, it's free, so take your chances on whether you'll like it.
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