No Name

by Wilkie Collins

Overview

Magdalen Vanstone and her sister Norah learn the true meaning of social stigma in Victorian England only after the traumatic discovery that their dearly loved parents, whose sudden deaths have left them orphans, were not married at the time of their births.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781622360116
Publisher:	Greatest Books Publisher
Publication date:	03/31/2012
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Wilkie Collins (1824–1889), born William Wilkie Collins, spent a portion of his childhood traveling across Europe. He was educated in England, Italy and France before entering an apprenticeship at a local tea merchant. He also studied law and began a writing career, publishing his first story “The Last Stage Coachman” in 1843. Collins would go on to produce more than 30 novels, becoming one of the premier architects of the modern English detective story.

Date of Birth:

December 8, 1824

Date of Death:

September 23, 1889

Place of Birth:

London, England

Place of Death:

London, England

Education:

Studied law at Lincoln¿s Inn, London

Editorial Reviews

"A relatively unknown masterpiece." —the Times


"Magdalen, a woman who resists the Victorian idea of the angel in the house and proves to be unscrupulous in her fight for survival against poverty and prejudice, employing disguise and deceit to win back what she believes is rightfully hers." —Observer


"Dizzyingly readable, with a feminist anti-heroine up to all sorts of deception and skulduggery, cheered along by the reader every step of the way." —Mail on Sunday


"Two dispossessed sisters fight for their inheritance, the narrative snaking compellingly around Victorian Britain." —Sunday Times


"Collins explores the iniquity of Victorian morality by damning the future of his resourceful heroine at an early stage with the discovery of her own illegitimacy. Deprived of her inheritance and even her name, Magdalen Vanstone sets out with frightening courage to reestablish her fortune and reputation. The ingenuity and guile she employs to achieve her end makes her a rare figure in Victorian literature and one of Collins' most subversive characters." —the Times

From the Publisher

Any fiction fan should listen to at least one Victorian novel every year. More the better if the primary narrator is the talented Nicholas Boulton, whose ability to mimic the elite and humble, and capture their cadence and tone is unrivaled. His subtle inflections shape this long but satisfying performance. The stalwart cast transports listeners to 1840s London and the countryside. Like his friend Dickens, Collins writes in torrents of descriptive prose and crafts a clever plot. Two orphaned heroines, Magdalen and Nora Vanstone, are central to the story, which concerns illegitimacy. The novel is filled with unforgettable characters; especially memorable are Horatio Wragge (Rag), an endearing scoundrel, and his long-suffering giantess wife, who figure prominently. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Any fiction fan should listen to at least one Victorian novel every year. More the better if the primary narrator is the talented Nicholas Boulton, whose ability to mimic the elite and humble, and capture their cadence and tone is unrivaled. His subtle inflections shape this long but satisfying performance. The stalwart cast transports listeners to 1840s London and the countryside. Like his friend Dickens, Collins writes in torrents of descriptive prose and crafts a clever plot. Two orphaned heroines, Magdalen and Nora Vanstone, are central to the story, which concerns illegitimacy. The novel is filled with unforgettable characters; especially memorable are Horatio Wragge (Rag), an endearing scoundrel, and his long-suffering giantess wife, who figure prominently. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile