Wednesday 8 August 2012

The Moonstone, Part One: "I had stood there listening to them, all in a tremble; not knowing whom to suspect or what to think next."

You and me both, Betteredge, you and me both. Seriously, though, how great is this book?! In a typical fashion, I was super-excited about reading it for the entire week (or, probably, for longer than that actually) and then... Forgot to actually read it. So i just finished it this morning, and my thoughts aren't really gathered in any coherent way, so excuse me if I just do the word equivalent of flapping my arms around excitedly.

SO! So many suspicions I have, that even at this early point I think I've accused everyone in the entire book of stealing the moonstone (except Sergeant Cuff, who, by the way is awesome. Seriously awesome) EVEN Betteredge who, you know, says he slept through the whole night, but he would say that, wouldn't he? I mean, obviously Rosanna is waaay more likely to have done it, but that's the entire problem with that theory- like we're going to know about it this early on! And then, obviously, Rachel seems very very veeeery suspicious, but I believe that she smeared the paint, but did so on a... nocturnal journey to one of her cousins (her cousins. Ew.) SO basically I have no idea with that, so let's just leave it alone for now. I say this:
(Seriously, I have so many Skarsgard gifs. So this is clearly going to be enjoyable for everyone!)

OK! So even though I suspect everyone, I also kiiind of love everyone too! Penelope is a ridiculous gossip, Franklin seems to know what he's all about, and the French/German/Italian/English thing? Amazing. Clearly he's also completely dreamy because Rosanna and Rachel both want a piece of that action, even though Betteredge reckon's Godfrey's a better choice (for Rachel anyway). I'm sorry, but Godfrey is dreadfully dreary (possibly unfair to say, since he hasn't really had as much narrative time as Franklin, but still) and, you know, doesn't even have a beard! Does anyone else think that Franklin's beard maaaybe bodes ill for his character though, since beards are usually super untrustworthy, albeit sexy? THIS CONCERNS ME!

Since we are all, obviously, looking for the next Marian, I kind of want to tentatively suggest Rachel, except that she got super moody and door slammy once her precious diamond went missing (toootally suspicious), but then also there's this:
"She was unlike most girls her age, in this- that she had ideas of her own, and was stiff necked enough to set the fashions themselves at defiance, if the fashions didn't suit her views."
You know? So I think we need more Rachel, to figure out if she really is fab, or if, in fact, she sold the diamond to fund a super super illegal abortion of Franklin's baby... (I don't know why this has become a soap all of a sudden, but hey, let's go with it!)

There are clearly so many awesome things I'm forgetting because I didn't leave myself enough time to process things, so I'm going to have to bullet point my way to the end- here goes:

  • "How it was I don't understand, but we always seemed to be getting, with the best of motives, in one another's way. When I wanted to go upstairs, there was my wife coming down; or when my wife wanted to go down, there was I coming up. That is married life, according to my experience of it"- This is what will happen when you use marriage as a money saving venture! And, if all else fails, go and find another woman, and live with her some of the time, right Wilkie..?
  • I did a little cheer at Betteredge's racial tolerance- he's probably more forward thinking than some people who live in England today, so... Way to be awesome, Wilkie "I am generally all for amusement, and the last man in the world to distrust another person because he happens to be a few shades darker than myself."
  • Then there was this, which is basically the truest true thing that's ever been said: "Mr Franklin noticed me, contending with a perturbed stomach or mind- which you please; they mean the same thing." Yes? Yes. YESSSSSSSSSSS!
  • And finally, this is kind of unrelated to the story, but I finally read the little author profile in my edition and nearly laughed myself to DEATH- apparently Wilkie took a lot of opium, and "he began to suffer from paranoia and hallucinations, including the presence of a 'subjective doppelganger' he named Ghost Wilkie"- GUYS! He named his subjective doppelganger! Just like a normal person would do! Ahem... Damn, I love this dude!
So, that's all I have for you! Basically I love everyone, and will do until they prove themselves to be unworthy, or horribly boring. According also to my author profile, Opium plays a prominent part in The Moonstone, so I'm thinking either the police dude is going to use it to figure things out (a la that guy Johnny Depp played in From Hell) OR maybe Rachel has a nasty heroin habit and that's why she had to sell the diamond... These teens and their drugs...

34 comments:

  1. I'm totally hoping that Mr. Franklin doesn't become like a hero in the story... to me he seems like an annoying little crazy man. But I don't trust short guys, so that may be why.

    I did like Betteredge's description of Rachel, but I don't think she's gonna turn into the awesome heroine we were hoping, at the very least because she doesn't even have her own narrative. She's basically there to look pretty and cry about her diamond, lol.

    And OMG Ghost Wilkie??? HILARIOUSSSS!!!! *Sigh* I wish he were alive now, he'd be awesome. He'd probably write cool novels and play D&D games or something, and try to get hair grafting done to hide his huge forehead.

    And if you put Skarsgard in all your readalong posts, YOU WIN EVERYTHING.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww, I like Mr Franklin! Better than Godfrey anyway, if only because he's not called Godfrey... He has a narrative later on, so who knows!!

      I fear you may be right about Rachel. I'm reserving judgement until a bit later (maybe the end of the next section) but, we'll seeee! But if not her, then WHO will be our Marian?!

      Ghost Wilkie is sooo ridiculous and yet hilarious, and just... so Wilkie-ish! Ah, Wilkie...

      Also, I know, Skarsgard riiiight! Basically the only tumblr I read is a Skarsgard one, so... gifs, I has them!

      Delete
  2. "And, if all else fails, go and find another woman, and live with her some of the time, right Wilkie..?"

    WILKIE BURN

    I like that you're not giving up on Rachel like Red and I obviously have so early in the game.

    And the paint was TOTALLY smeared by Rachel as she went to meet one of her cousins. Probs Mr Franklin. But who knows this early? Wilkie is so tricky. Remember when we thought someone was gonna drown in that pond and then NO ONE DID?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wellllll... I think it's a well deserved Wilkie burrrrn. Even though I love him and all!

      I can't give up on Rachel because I don't see another Marian candidate! I NEED A MARIAN!

      I absolutely forgot about the pond!! I was SO SURE someone had been murdered and their body dumped in the pond, but as it turned out, nope, Fosco and Pesca were just in an Italian secret society because that just makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE.

      Oh, god, Wilkie, I love you so much!

      Delete
    2. "Remember when we thought someone was gonna drown in that pond and then NO ONE DID?"

      I think the quicksand is this readalong's pond... :O

      Delete
    3. So... the quicksand's going to be really shit and boring then? Eeeeexcellent...

      Delete
    4. If we keep doing readalongs, we might all start thinking alike...because I think that's what's happening already. MIND OCTUPLETS.

      Delete
    5. THINKING ALIKE IS AWESOME! Well, not that much really, BUT if it means we all solve mysteries at the same time, then SO BE IT!

      Delete
  3. YES Rachel sold the diamond to pay to get rid of her and Franklin's fetus! Except I have totally given up on Rachel being a Marian because so far she is SO WHINY and door slammy. Marian would not put up with such nonsense. She'd be all climbing on rooftops, finding the real thief and would go toe-to-toe with Cuff. Not slamming more doors at him.

    "This is what will happen when you use marriage as a money saving venture!" SO TRUE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DUDE. Marian would totally be helping Cuff in his investigation. And not from making him -- HE WOULD ASK HER. Because he'd realize her worth, for Cuff is In the Know on things.

      And they'd both be like "We totally know who did it, but no, we can't tell you yet," and we'd look all begrudging but realize they probably had good reasons not for saying, because they are MARIAN AND CUFF, CRIMEFIGHTING DUO.

      Delete
    2. Can someone write that book?! I want it way more than the Dickens/Collins odd-couple thing. (Also I think I'm realizing how fan fiction starts...)

      Delete
    3. I just did a search and there's someone on facebook named Marian Cuff. Yessssss.

      (even though, I AM SORRY, Marian's super-gay)

      Delete
    4. Marian is slightly in love with her sister- but don't be sorry about her gayness, because hey, WE'RE ALL GIRLS! MARIAN COME TO MEEEEEEE!

      Marian and Cuff fan fiction for all. Let's do this.

      Delete
    5. If we roll all of our crazy ideas into one fan fic, there will be dinosaurs and badgers and lesbian lovers and romance with a fat man and ALSO with an old detective. Clearly, this needs to happen.

      Delete
    6. Best story ever? Yes, absolutely

      Delete
    7. RED RESPONDED TO MEG EXTREMELY QUICKLY I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO NOTICE THAT

      Also I'm amazed because Blogger doesn't send me comment notifications so I want to know how it was DONE, damnit.

      I want Marian to be conflicted between Fosco and Laura. And Walter can kind of chill in the background.

      Delete
    8. I hope we're all writing our fan fictions RIGHT NOW! Submissions at the end of the month!

      Delete
  4. You did a fab job processing all of this in one day. Simply fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why thank you! I feel like it's slightly a post of word vomit, but there you go! I just want to know what happens next, dammit!

      Delete
  5. Hoooo boy. Rachel TOTES smeared the paint on her way to Franklin/Godfrey, that hussy! And maybe Rosanna was sent out to procure her abortifacient (it's a real word! Yikes) and that's why she skivved off sick.

    And then she'll feel so guilty about it that she (Rosanna) will drown herself in the quicksand she was so drawn to earlier, poor dear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh noooo, I don't want Rosanna to drown herself (quicksand herself?)! Cause then Betteredge will be sad, and that will just not be good!

      Delete
  6. Okay, apparently I am late to the party in this thread and you all have solved the mystery -- Rachel had a threesome with Franklin and Godfrey and now she's knocked up and has to sell her own diamond on the black market for some Victorian Plan B.

    At least, that's what I got from this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is why these readalongs are the best. I love all of you.

      Delete
    2. I don't believe a threesome was ever mentioned, you added that all by yourself! But yeah, that's the jist of it, and clearly what happened!

      Delete
    3. This is why I try to ration my readalong-post reading rather than plowing through them all in one day...because then I can come in on the tail end of these gems (and because I'm slightly unorganized this week).

      Delete
  7. Man, that would be so AWESOME if this book really went all "telenovela"/daytime soaps like you had described - Rachel, you craaaazy~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's going to happen right? It's what Wilkie likes! PLEASE LET THERE BE A VICTORIAN ABORTION!

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. :o Shhhhhh! Hehehehe, I'm so intrigued and excited and ARGH! :)

      Delete
  9. GHOST WILKIE. I can't even - that makes me so happy. As does this comment thread, which is possibly the best thing on the internet. Victorian abortion! How would they even?! If she falls down the stairs "by accident" then we know for sure your theory is true.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG, falling down the stairs=definite abortion. Also, I don't know if you've gotten any further, but she wants to 'go and stay with her aunt'. WHERE SHE'LL HAVE HER ABORTION

      Delete
  10. Aren't you SO glad there isn't a laaaaame character named Laura in this one? I felt a little bad every time we made fun of Woman-in-White Laura...but then we did it an awful lot.

    Can I just ask...are you picturing Franklin as the Skars? Because I would approve of that. And I think that's what I shall do henceforth.

    Clearly, Ghost Wilkie is the best thing anyone has ever heard of. And it MIGHT explain why Woman in White was shockingly lacking in ghosts. "What do you think, Ghost Wilkie...shall we do a ghost story next? Oh...I know you don't like how ghosts are portrayed in fiction. We shan't perpetuate the stigma then. How about we just make this lady flounce around all in white?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am SO happy there's not a lame Laura in this! Last time I was totally like 'OMG EVERYONE HATES ME' for like a millisecond after I read 'Laura's so lame' things, and was consequently nicer about her than she deserved haha (Although, to be fair, not really her fault everyone treats her like a child...)

      I totally wasn't picturing Franklin as the Skars, cause he's too short! I think Godfrey is more the Skarsgard physical type (tall and blonde) but he's lame, so let's just pretend Franklin is Skarsgard cause I like him better :) (He's definitely going to be guilty now that I've said that...)

      HA! Yes, Wilkie came up with the title and was all like 'I'm gonna fill this with ghosts' and then Ghost Wilkie was just standing in the corner shaking his head like 'we're going to have to talk about this, original Wilkie' AMAZING! Also, WHY WERE THERE NO GHOSTS IN THE WOMAN IN WHITE?! Still so wrong...

      Delete