Monday, August 04, 2014

Teaser Tuesday 229: The Moonstone

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few "teaser" sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!




This week I am reading another classic for a group read, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Thankfully, this one is more engaging and not as depressing as last week's classic group read.


As the house stood, the terrace side was the dark side; but the broad moonlight showed fair on the gravel walk that ran along the next side to the terrace. Looking this way, after looking up at the sky, I saw the shadow of a person in the moonlight thrown forward from behind the corner of the house.

(Chapter VII)





ABOUT THE BOOK:

Rachel Verinder, a young Englishwoman, inherits a large Indian diamond on her eighteenth birthday. It is a legacy from her uncle, a corrupt English army officer who served in India. The diamond is of great religious significance as well as being extremely valuable, and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it. The story incorporates elements of the legendary origins of the Hope Diamond (or perhaps the Orloff Diamond). Rachel's eighteenth birthday is celebrated with a large party, whose guests include her cousin Franklin Blake. She wears the Moonstone on her dress that evening for all to see, including some Indian jugglers who have called at the house. Later that night, the diamond is stolen from Rachel's bedroom, and a period of turmoil, unhappiness, misunderstandings and ill-luck ensues. Told by a series of narratives from some of the main characters, the complex plot traces the subsequent efforts to explain the theft, identify the thief, trace the stone and recover it.





26 comments:

Lisa-Marie Jordan said...

That's a great teaser! It sounds like an interesting read! Cheers!

Alice Audrey said...

That's the thing about classics. Some of them I can't figure out how they became classic in the first place. Some I could see became classic for reasons having nothing to do with writing quality.

Alice Audrey said...

How come your blog always asks if I want to leave and says data may not be saved when I am done commenting? It's starting to worry me.

Kathy Martin said...

I'm glad this classic is more engaging. I like the teaser you chose. Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy reading!

Anonymous said...

I love The Moonstone! Most of Wilkie's books I like, but this one is a particular favorite.

Mine this week is also from the 19th Century, but not nearly as exciting as one of Wilkie's, lol.

Clayhanger, the first of a trilogy by Arnold Bennett: http://wp.me/pZnGI-aw

Heather said...

Lisa-Marie: It has been good so far -- we're finally getting into the heart of the mystery. ☺

Heather said...

Alice: There have certainly been some classics I did not enjoy, but thankfully many more I have. So far this one is falling on the "like" side.

Heather said...

Alice: It's not you, or even me, but a BLOGGER ISSUE. It happens to me occasionally when replying to other Blogger blogs, too, and to at least one other person I know. It's one of a couple programming errors getting on my nerves lately. I do not receive notification for all new comments lately, either, so am often surprised to find one or two more than expected. You can't tell me they are unaware of all these issues, yet they've been happening a couple months now with no corrections. The only thing topping my blogger peeves are WordPress issues. :-\

Heather said...

Thanks, Kathy -- I'm glad I've had an easier time getting into this one, and that it is not as depressing as last week's The Bell Jar. It is quite a bit longer and much smaller print, though, so feels like I am not reading as fast as I am, LOL.

Heather said...

MadameV: Glad to hear that someone else has enjoyed this book. Thanks for visiting! ☺

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Love the sound of this one! Thanks for sharing...and here's mine: “THURSDAY’S CHILDREN”

Cleopatra Loves Books said...

So good to hear this is engaging, I bought a copy at the last book sale I went to and it is sat in my TBR. I like the teaser so I need to get started on this one.
http://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2014/05/04/book-sales-are-dangerous-for-addicts/

Thanks for visiting my TT

Yvonne said...

I don't really read classics, but your teasers have been tempting.

Heather said...

Laurel-Rain: Thanks, I'm glad to pique someone's interest with this one. ☺

Heather said...

Cleo: LOL, I won't mention how many years this one languished in Mount TBR. I'm glad I finally got round to it! ☺

Heather said...

Thanks, Yvonne -- would it help if I said this one is a mystery? ☺

Sandra Nachlinger said...

Sounds like a good story. Sometimes I find the classics hard to read because the writing is so flowery. I want to shout, "Get to the point!" But then sometimes that's what makes it enjoyable. I'm glad to hear this is a good one.
My Tuesday post features BETTER THAN YOUR DREAMS.

Unknown said...

Cool teaser; very atmospheric! Happy reading!

My Teaser.

Heather said...

Sandra: It has been good so far. You're right that the flowery language of some classics, typical of their era, can be difficult for today's readers to slog through, but sometimes it just takes a chapter or two to get used to and becomes much easier to read.

Heather said...

Thanks, Kerry -- and thanks for visiting!

Unknown said...

Sounds interesting!

How about a Christmas cozy mystery to help to cool you down during the summer? Here's my latest teaser: http://pdworkman.com/excerpt-from-christmas-carol-murder-teasertuesday-2/

Heather said...

Thanks, PD! No offense, but I will have to pass on your book this week, having previously read and disliked that author. ;)

Unknown said...

That's a nice teaser, very descriptive. Thank you for sharing!

Vonnie said...

I haven't read this book by Wilkie Collins. I need to add this to the list :)

Heather said...

Thanks, Andrea -- There are a lot of great discriptive passages in this book.

Heather said...

Vonnie: This is the first book by WC I've read, though I have heard rave reviews about his books.