No Name

by Wilkie Collins

Overview

Norah and Magdalen Vanstone have an idyllic life. With loving parents, a caring governess, and an expansive estate to roam, the girls desire nothing else. But when a tragic accident claims the life of their father, and their mother dies shortly thereafter, Norah and Magdalen are left with no inheritance and, as they come to discover, no name.

As the Vanstone sisters make their way into the world with the assistance of their governess, their paths diverge as Norah pursues an honest career, and Magdalen becomes consumed with reclaiming their inheritance. Originally published as a serial in Charles Dickens's All the Year Round magazine, No Name is both tragedy and comedy, and demonstrates the skill of a writer at the peak of his craft.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781443441001
Publisher:	HarperCollins Canada
Publication date:	12/16/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	784
Lexile:	1050L (what's this?)
File size:	896 KB

About the Author

Wilkie Collins (January 8, 1824-September 23, 1889) was the author of thirty novels, more than sixty short stories, fourteen plays (including an adaptation of The Moonstone), and more than one hundred nonfiction pieces. His best-known works are The Woman in White, The Moonstone, Armadale, and No Name.

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