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La reina de Corazones
The Queen of Hearts is a collection of ten short stories set within a connecting narrative.‘The Queen of Hearts’ is the nickname of Jessie Yelverton. Jessie’s father had arranged in his will that she should spend at least six weeks with her elderly guardian, Mr. Griffith. Mr. Griffith lives with his two brothers, Mr. Owen and Mr. Morgan in an isolated house called The Glen Tower in South Wales. The three elderly gentlemen set out to delay her departure for ten days so that she may still be there when Mr. Griffith’s son, George who has fallen in love with her, comes home from the war. What follows is a sort of Arabian Nights or Decameron Nights type of storytelling, where the three brothers tell a different ‘true’ story each evening.The ten stories Brother Owen’s Story of The Siege of the Black Cottage.Brother Griffith’s Story of The Family Secret.Brother Morgan’s Story of The Dream-Woman.Brother Griffith’s Story of Mad MonktonBrother Morgan’s Story of The Dead HandBrother Griffith’s Story of The Biter Bit.Brother Owen’s Story of The Parson’s Scruple.Brother Griffith’s Story of A Plot in Private Life.Brother Morgan’s Story of Fauntleroy.Brother Owen’s Story of Anne Rodway.William 'Wilkie' Collins was an English novelist, poet, and playwright writing in the mid 19th century. His writing was very popular consisting of 27 novels, 50 short stories, and 15 plays and over 100 poems. His best-known works were The Woman in White, The Moonstone and Armadale. Collins was greatly influenced by his friend Charles Dickens. Dickens is considered to be one of the greatest English writers. He was a social activist who wrote plays and novels during the Victorian period.
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First published January 1, 1859
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About the author
Wilkie Collins
2,364 books2,935 followersWilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White (1860), an early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), a pioneering work of detective fiction. Born to landscape painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, he spent part of his childhood in Italy and France, learning both languages. Initially working as a tea merchant, he later studied law, though he never practiced. His literary career began with Antonina (1850), and a meeting with Charles Dickens in 1851 proved pivotal. The two became close friends and collaborators, with Collins contributing to Dickens' journals and co-writing dramatic works.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.
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September 7, 2022
Pues la verdad es que me ha gustado mucho esta novela. Me parece una lectura perfecta para el verano, ligera y fácil de leer, pero muy bien escrita y con momentos que saben atrapara el lector. No voy a mentir: Wilkie Collins tiene libros mucho mejores que este, y tampoco va a ser una obra que le vaya a cambiar la vida a nadie. Pero eso no quita para que estemos ante una lectura muy entretenida, muy especial y diferente a otros trabajos de este autor.
La premisa de la que parte el libro es muy sencilla, y realmente no da para mucho: Jessie Yelverton , una joven y vivaracha heredera debe pasar unas semanas en la casa de su tutor lugar, el cual convive en una remota y aislada mansión en Galés con sus dos hermanos mayores. Todo parece indicar que la urbanita y frívola Jesse se va ha aburrir de lo lindo con la única compañía de los tres ancianos y que a estos les va a complicar la existencia. Pero nada más lejos de la realidad, rápidamente la joven se integra perfectamente en el día a día de la perdida mansión, y los cuatro forman una familia. Pero cuando se acerca el plazo en el que la muchacha debe volver a su casa, una carta cambiara todo, haciendo necesario que los tres hermanos busquen cualquier artimaña para lograr que Jesse esté diez días más. Para ello tratarán de atraerla contándole cada noche una historia diferente, a modo de Scherezade en “ Las Mil y Una Noches”.
Es en esas historias donde radica el interés y el motor principal del libro. La trama principal es un mero pretexto para dar unicidad y cohesión a las diez historias, de hecho, como trama apenas da de sí y es muy previsible y simplona, siendo la que menos páginas ocupa de la novela. Lo realmente destacable son las narraciones que se van contando cada noche y lo variadas que son, tanto en temática como en estilo narrativo y literario. De ahí que uno, cuando acaba la obra, tenga la sensación de haber leído varias novelas en una, tal y como se indica en la sinopsis la obra tiene forma de Matrioska rusa, una historia alberga en su interior otras tantas.
A lo largo de “La Reina de Corazones” encontramos historias de terror gótico, misterios sobrenaturales, de detectives, dramas familiares y anécdotas que les suceden a personas normales; todas ellas protagonizadas por una serie de personajes de todo tipo y condición; desde pomposos y presumidos detectives con más ínfulas que capacidades para su trabajo, humildes costureras en busca de trabajo, jovencitas dispuestas a defender lo que es suyo, banqueros falsificadores de buen corazón, matrimonios atormentados y médicos con secretos en el corazón. Algunas de las piezas se narran de forma epistolar, otras pretenden ser fragmentos de diario, y otras son narradas de forma lineal.
Como en toda recopilación de cuentos o historias cortas, hay algunas historias que sobresalen por encima de otras. Pero si algo hay que reconocerle a Collins, es que nos presenta un conjunto de historias que no son solo vale variadas, también son muy interesantes. Todas, a su manera, logran atrapar la atención del lector. No obstante tengo que reconocer que destaco las que se encuentran en medio de la novela. Las dos primeras y las tres últimas me han parecido quizás las menos interesantes respecto a las otras cinco centrales.
Volviendo a lo que es la historia central, si hay algo que tengo que destacar es que, pese a su brevedad, Collins logra caracterizar detallada y nítidamente a los personajes que la protagonizan, De forma que estos caracteres está muy bien trazados y son fácilmente reconocibles por el lector, son muy entrañables y es imposible no cogerles cariño. Pese a todo, tengo que reconocer que me hubiera gustado que subiera ahondado más de ellos, pero como he dicho antes, no lo he sentido especialmente por lo bien perfilados que están. Y de todas maneras tampoco se le puede pedir mas a esta parte del argumento, pues no se puede negar que da para lo que da por su brevedad, y que pese a todo está muy bien perfilada.
“La Reina de Corazones” es una obrita entrañable, en la que Collins lleva a su terreno un estilo narrativo ya visto en obras como “ Los Cuentos de Canterbury” o “El Decamerón”. Y logra darle a esta forma de narrar tan conocida su propio toque, con historias en las que muchas veces se critica a la sociedad victoriana en la que vivió y personajes entrañables que resultan cercanos y cálidos para el lector, destacando, cómo no, algunos caracteres femeninos muy bien creados y muy interesantes. Creo que si no hubiera leído tantas novelas de este autor, adoraría profundamente este libro. Habiéndolo leído en el momento actual y y no siendo ni mi primer ni mi segundo encuentro con Collins, debo decir que me ha parecido una novela entrañable y encantadora, que disfrutado mucho de su lectura y que me ha dado muy buenos momentos. Pero no va a pasar, precisamente, como uno de mis libros favoritos de uno de mis autores preferidos. No obstante tampoco es el que menos me haya gustado de él, y considero que es una obra muy buena y muy recomendable. Como siempre, leer a Collins es una experiencia maravillosa.
La premisa de la que parte el libro es muy sencilla, y realmente no da para mucho: Jessie Yelverton , una joven y vivaracha heredera debe pasar unas semanas en la casa de su tutor lugar, el cual convive en una remota y aislada mansión en Galés con sus dos hermanos mayores. Todo parece indicar que la urbanita y frívola Jesse se va ha aburrir de lo lindo con la única compañía de los tres ancianos y que a estos les va a complicar la existencia. Pero nada más lejos de la realidad, rápidamente la joven se integra perfectamente en el día a día de la perdida mansión, y los cuatro forman una familia. Pero cuando se acerca el plazo en el que la muchacha debe volver a su casa, una carta cambiara todo, haciendo necesario que los tres hermanos busquen cualquier artimaña para lograr que Jesse esté diez días más. Para ello tratarán de atraerla contándole cada noche una historia diferente, a modo de Scherezade en “ Las Mil y Una Noches”.
Es en esas historias donde radica el interés y el motor principal del libro. La trama principal es un mero pretexto para dar unicidad y cohesión a las diez historias, de hecho, como trama apenas da de sí y es muy previsible y simplona, siendo la que menos páginas ocupa de la novela. Lo realmente destacable son las narraciones que se van contando cada noche y lo variadas que son, tanto en temática como en estilo narrativo y literario. De ahí que uno, cuando acaba la obra, tenga la sensación de haber leído varias novelas en una, tal y como se indica en la sinopsis la obra tiene forma de Matrioska rusa, una historia alberga en su interior otras tantas.
A lo largo de “La Reina de Corazones” encontramos historias de terror gótico, misterios sobrenaturales, de detectives, dramas familiares y anécdotas que les suceden a personas normales; todas ellas protagonizadas por una serie de personajes de todo tipo y condición; desde pomposos y presumidos detectives con más ínfulas que capacidades para su trabajo, humildes costureras en busca de trabajo, jovencitas dispuestas a defender lo que es suyo, banqueros falsificadores de buen corazón, matrimonios atormentados y médicos con secretos en el corazón. Algunas de las piezas se narran de forma epistolar, otras pretenden ser fragmentos de diario, y otras son narradas de forma lineal.
Como en toda recopilación de cuentos o historias cortas, hay algunas historias que sobresalen por encima de otras. Pero si algo hay que reconocerle a Collins, es que nos presenta un conjunto de historias que no son solo vale variadas, también son muy interesantes. Todas, a su manera, logran atrapar la atención del lector. No obstante tengo que reconocer que destaco las que se encuentran en medio de la novela. Las dos primeras y las tres últimas me han parecido quizás las menos interesantes respecto a las otras cinco centrales.
Volviendo a lo que es la historia central, si hay algo que tengo que destacar es que, pese a su brevedad, Collins logra caracterizar detallada y nítidamente a los personajes que la protagonizan, De forma que estos caracteres está muy bien trazados y son fácilmente reconocibles por el lector, son muy entrañables y es imposible no cogerles cariño. Pese a todo, tengo que reconocer que me hubiera gustado que subiera ahondado más de ellos, pero como he dicho antes, no lo he sentido especialmente por lo bien perfilados que están. Y de todas maneras tampoco se le puede pedir mas a esta parte del argumento, pues no se puede negar que da para lo que da por su brevedad, y que pese a todo está muy bien perfilada.
“La Reina de Corazones” es una obrita entrañable, en la que Collins lleva a su terreno un estilo narrativo ya visto en obras como “ Los Cuentos de Canterbury” o “El Decamerón”. Y logra darle a esta forma de narrar tan conocida su propio toque, con historias en las que muchas veces se critica a la sociedad victoriana en la que vivió y personajes entrañables que resultan cercanos y cálidos para el lector, destacando, cómo no, algunos caracteres femeninos muy bien creados y muy interesantes. Creo que si no hubiera leído tantas novelas de este autor, adoraría profundamente este libro. Habiéndolo leído en el momento actual y y no siendo ni mi primer ni mi segundo encuentro con Collins, debo decir que me ha parecido una novela entrañable y encantadora, que disfrutado mucho de su lectura y que me ha dado muy buenos momentos. Pero no va a pasar, precisamente, como uno de mis libros favoritos de uno de mis autores preferidos. No obstante tampoco es el que menos me haya gustado de él, y considero que es una obra muy buena y muy recomendable. Como siempre, leer a Collins es una experiencia maravillosa.
August 1, 2020
Leer a Wilkie siempre es una experiencia irrepetible, esta novela se merece cada una de las 5 estrellas.
☆ El trío de hermanos de The Glen Tower me parece entrañable.
☆ Por las historias que narran y la variedad de géneros que empleó Collins: epistolar, misterio, amoríos... Unas enganchan más que otras pero todas están a un gran nivel.
☆ La historia mantiene el interés hasta el final.
☆ El amor de Griffith por su hijo y cómo se esfuerza para conseguir su felicidad.
☆ El final.
☆ El trío de hermanos de The Glen Tower me parece entrañable.
☆ Por las historias que narran y la variedad de géneros que empleó Collins: epistolar, misterio, amoríos... Unas enganchan más que otras pero todas están a un gran nivel.
☆ La historia mantiene el interés hasta el final.
☆ El amor de Griffith por su hijo y cómo se esfuerza para conseguir su felicidad.
☆ El final.
September 3, 2012
A remote castle in Wales inhabited by three older men is the last place on earth that a young, lively girl of 18 would want to spend time. And yet, when forced by circumstances to take up residence there for six weeks prior to coming of age, Jessie surprises them all by finding immense enjoyment in the experience and by capturing each of her adopted uncles' hearts. As the time grows near for her to return to England, the three brothers find it necessary to trick her into prolonging her stay until a certain day. They cunningly decide to "trap" her interest by suggesting a new scheme of entertainment. Having heard her complaints about the lack of good stories present in the day's literature ("I'm sick to death of novels with an earnest purpose...what I want is something that seizes hold of my interest and makes me forget when it is time to dress for dinner, something that keeps me reading, reading, reading, in a breathless state to find out the end,") they propose to take turns telling her thrilling stories that will satisfy her taste for excitement and adventure. Jessie agrees to a trial run and, delighted by the first of the stories, continues to await each new installment with eager anticipation. When the last story is told, the reason for their scheme's necessity is unveiled after a brief period of heightened uncertainty about its success and Jessie finds her ties to the three men and the old castle made even tighter.
I enjoyed this book so much! Wilkie Collins was such a masterful storyteller and I became his devoted fan when I first read his novels, The Moonstone and The Woman in White. Collins' ability to evoke an intense atmosphere of suspense and mystery is equaled by very few authors today and is evident in all of the short stories told by the three brothers. Though they all have their merits, my favorite was certainly the lighter tale told by Brother Griffith (the main narrator) about the humorous trial of a "cunning" (and not too modest) law clerk as a member of the police force. Definitely a recommendation for any mystery / suspense lover or Wilkie Collins fan.
I enjoyed this book so much! Wilkie Collins was such a masterful storyteller and I became his devoted fan when I first read his novels, The Moonstone and The Woman in White. Collins' ability to evoke an intense atmosphere of suspense and mystery is equaled by very few authors today and is evident in all of the short stories told by the three brothers. Though they all have their merits, my favorite was certainly the lighter tale told by Brother Griffith (the main narrator) about the humorous trial of a "cunning" (and not too modest) law clerk as a member of the police force. Definitely a recommendation for any mystery / suspense lover or Wilkie Collins fan.
March 18, 2022
‘It was impossible to reform the “Queen of Hearts,” and equally impossible not to love her. Such, in few words, was my fellow-guardian’s report of his experience of our handsome young ward.’
Published in 1859. Scheherazade without the interlocking stories. The framing story is simple and obvious. Interesting rather than enjoyable.
‘It is not wonderful that the public should rarely know how to estimate the vast service which is done to them by the production of a good book, seeing that they are, for the most part, utterly ignorant of the immense difficulty of writing even a bad one.’
Mostly mysteries, but a pleasant mix of female protagonists, humor, and surprise climaxes leaven thew nineteenth century English fare.
‘In the course of my wanderings I had learned to speak French as fluently as most Englishmen.’
Which is to say, of course, not at all. Like most Americans. Reflects the prejudices and mores of its time.
‘We most of us soon arrive at a knowledge of the extent of our strength, but we may pass a lifetime and be still ignorant of the extent of our weakness.’
Published in 1859. Scheherazade without the interlocking stories. The framing story is simple and obvious. Interesting rather than enjoyable.
‘It is not wonderful that the public should rarely know how to estimate the vast service which is done to them by the production of a good book, seeing that they are, for the most part, utterly ignorant of the immense difficulty of writing even a bad one.’
Mostly mysteries, but a pleasant mix of female protagonists, humor, and surprise climaxes leaven thew nineteenth century English fare.
‘In the course of my wanderings I had learned to speak French as fluently as most Englishmen.’
Which is to say, of course, not at all. Like most Americans. Reflects the prejudices and mores of its time.
‘We most of us soon arrive at a knowledge of the extent of our strength, but we may pass a lifetime and be still ignorant of the extent of our weakness.’
December 9, 2020
Al principio cuando había leído unas pocas páginas y vi que trataba de una joven que por azares del destino iba a vivir 6 semanas con 3 viejos hermanos en una casa enclavada en un lugar difícil de llegar y alejada de otras casas, me pregunté como se iba a aguantar este argumento durante todo el libro, considerando que su extensión no es poca.
Al avanzar me doy cuenta del recurso del autor, y me parece genial, es como leer a una muñeca rusa.
Durante estas páginas vamos entendiendo el estilo del autor y reconociendo los recurrentes temas y recursos a los que echa mano durante toda su obra de una manera muy inteligente.
Este libro es una grandioso descubrimiento y me ha hecho pasar horas muy entretenida, y a veces un poco asustada, que en esta época la lluvia copiosa, los vientos fuertes y los apagones de luz, no faltan y son el mejor escenario para entrar en ambiente.
Al avanzar me doy cuenta del recurso del autor, y me parece genial, es como leer a una muñeca rusa.
Durante estas páginas vamos entendiendo el estilo del autor y reconociendo los recurrentes temas y recursos a los que echa mano durante toda su obra de una manera muy inteligente.
Este libro es una grandioso descubrimiento y me ha hecho pasar horas muy entretenida, y a veces un poco asustada, que en esta época la lluvia copiosa, los vientos fuertes y los apagones de luz, no faltan y son el mejor escenario para entrar en ambiente.
January 6, 2025
Interesting collection of 10 short stories, plus an extra one, equally interesting, that makes the frame of the other ten. The best stories, in my opinion, are the frequently antologized "The biter bit," plus "A plot in private life" and the frame story ("The Queen of Hearts").
October 14, 2012
Griffith, a widower and retired lawyer, finds himself the sole legal guardian of Jessie, a spritly, young woman set on lighthearted adventure. According to her late father's will she must spend six weeks per year with her guardian if she is to gain full access to her inheritance. So she sets out to one of the most desolate and remote areas of Britain to live for six weeks with Griffith and his two older brothers.
Will the three old men manage to keep the young lady entertained and comfortable in their tower? Why is it so important that she stays?
Willie Collins has quickly worked his way to being one of my favourite authors. The Queen of Hearts is a collection of short stories surrounded by a frame of the thoughts and observations of a kind, old man, set on the happiness of the people around him.
A light story of many stories. There will be ghosts, there will be villains and there will be love.
Will the three old men manage to keep the young lady entertained and comfortable in their tower? Why is it so important that she stays?
Willie Collins has quickly worked his way to being one of my favourite authors. The Queen of Hearts is a collection of short stories surrounded by a frame of the thoughts and observations of a kind, old man, set on the happiness of the people around him.
A light story of many stories. There will be ghosts, there will be villains and there will be love.
June 24, 2019
I must have read the description, really now. But when I got into the book and started recognizing parts of it as short stories I had read in some other collection of Collins', I was unaccountably annoyed. I probably resented rereading stories rather than having "new" material from an author who's been dead for a hundred and fifty years. Then I got annoyed at myself for feeling annoyed. Then I remembered that when Ray Bradbury did the same thing in his last years, I approvingly thought, "Clever man!". So then I felt the guilt of the hypocrite. And finally I had a good laugh at my expense and was glad I'd finished Queen of Hearts and glad I could decide not to read any more Wilkie Collins for the time being. I will be back, but not because of this book! In the meantime, something fresh and new...like from the sixties? Hm, yes, indeed.
June 8, 2018
I’d forgotten how much I enjoy Wilkie Collins’ writing!
In The Queen of Hearts, three elderly brothers host a young woman in their rambling old castle in South Wales, called The Glen Tower. The prescribed length of her stay is six weeks, but due to extenuating (spoilery) circumstances, the brothers devise a great plan to trick her into lengthening her stay, by means of composing stories, and promising to read one per night for an additional ten days.
This premise sounds ridiculous when written out like this, but the motive for the plan is rather charming; the brothers are adorable each in their own way; and I was totally on board with this playful spin on the Arabian Nights theme.
Essentially, the book is more a collection of these ten short stories (‘written’ and read by the brothers), than it is one long novel. But the main story of the brothers and their young charge acts as an outer frame holding it all together. I enjoyed some of the short stories more than others, but each was suspenseful enough to keep me engaged. It’s a neat little trick on Collins’ part, as I myself was “tricked” into “lengthening my stay” in the book, all so I could see how the brothers’ plan to detain their fair houseguest turns out in the end.
Note to self: Must remember to mix more Wilkie Collins into my reading pile.
September 7, 2024
Muy diferente a lo que había leído del autor. Te plantean una tramar que sirve, básicamente, para poder introducir la verdadera historia, que son los cuentos de diversas temáticas que los tres hermanos van contándole a Jessie.
Una especie de “Mil y una noches” en la Gales del siglo XIX.
Unos cuentos más entretenidos que otros, pero en general, como todo lo de Collins, muy muy buenos.
El final es, además, la guinda del pastel.
Te deja de buen humor y teniendo la sensación de haberte sentado a esa mesa cada noche, esperando con ansia la lectura diaria.
Una especie de “Mil y una noches” en la Gales del siglo XIX.
Unos cuentos más entretenidos que otros, pero en general, como todo lo de Collins, muy muy buenos.
El final es, además, la guinda del pastel.
Te deja de buen humor y teniendo la sensación de haberte sentado a esa mesa cada noche, esperando con ansia la lectura diaria.
April 5, 2018
I think he may have been paid by the word for this one. An excellent framing device, but much longer than necessary, and a very mixed collection of stories within it. One or two could have been excellent full length novels - Mr Dark is a funnier Sergeant Cuff - but some of them were just potboilers. Probably only one for the Collins completist.
October 1, 2022
Wilkie Collins' "The Queen of Hearts" is a clever way to introduce ten short stories. I reviewed these separately and enjoyed them immensely. I look forward to his other short story collections.
*"Siege of the Black Cottage"
*"The Family Secret"
*"The Dream Woman"
*"Mad Monkton"
*"The Dead Hand"
*"The Biter Bit"
*"The Parson's Scruple"
*"A Plot in Private Life"
*"Fauntleroy"
*"Anne Rodway"
I enjoyed them all.
Story in short-Three Brothers tell 10 different stories that concern something that happened regarding their professions, one is a doctor, and the other two are a parson and a lawyer.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
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We are three brothers; and we live in a barbarous, dismal old house called The Glen Tower. Our place of abode stands in a hilly, lonesome district of South Wales. No such
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thing as a line of railway runs anywhere near us. No gentleman’s seat is within an easy drive of us. We are at an unspeakably inconvenient distance from a town, and the village to which we send for our letters is three miles off. My eldest brother, Owen, was brought up to the Church. All the prime of his life was passed in a populous London parish. For more years than I now like to reckon up, he worked unremittingly, in defiance of failing health and adverse fortune, amid the multitudinous misery of the London poor; and he would, in all probability, have sacrificed his life to his duty long before the present time if The Glen Tower had not come into his possession through two unexpected deaths in the elder and richer branch of our family. This opening to him of a place of rest and refuge saved his life. No man ever drew breath who better deserved the gifts of fortune; for no man, I sincerely believe, more tender of others, more diffident of himself, more gentle, more generous, and more simple-hearted
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hearted than Owen, ever walked this earth. My second brother, Morgan, started in life as a doctor, and learned all that his profession could teach him at home and abroad. He realized a moderate independence by his practice, beginning in one of our large northern towns and ending as a physician in London; but, although he was well known and appreciated among his brethren, he failed to gain that sort of reputation with the public which elevates a man into the position of a great
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doctor. The ladies never liked him. In the first place, he was ugly (Morgan will excuse me for mentioning this); in the second place, he was an inveterate smoker, and he smelled of tobacco when he felt languid pulses in elegant bedrooms; in the third place, he was the most formidably outspoken teller of the truth as regarded himself, his profession, and his patients, that ever imperiled the social standing of the science of medicine. For these reasons, and for others which it is not necessary to mention, he never pushed his way,
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as a doctor, into the front ranks, and he never cared to do so. About a year after Owen came into possession of The Glen Tower, Morgan discovered that he had saved as much money for his old age as a sensible man could want; that he was tired of the active pursuit — or, as he termed it, of the dignified quackery of his profession; and that it was only common charity to give his invalid brother a companion who could physic him for nothing, and so prevent him from getting rid of his money in the worst of all possible
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ways, by wasting it on doctors’ bills. In a week after Morgan had arrived at these conclusions, he was settled at The Glen Tower; and from that time, opposite as their characters were, my two elder brothers lived together in their lonely retreat, thoroughly understanding, and, in their very different ways, heartily loving one another. Many years passed before I, the youngest of the three — christened by the unmelodious name of Griffith — found my way, in my turn, to the dreary old house, and
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the sheltering quiet of the Welsh hills. My career in life had led me away from my brothers; and even now, when we are all united, I have still ties and interests to connect me with the outer world which neither Owen nor Morgan possess. I was brought up to the Bar. After my first year’s study of the law, I wearied of it, and strayed aside idly into the brighter and more attractive paths of literature. My occasional occupation with my pen was varied by long traveling excursions in all parts of the Continent; year
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by year my circle of gay friends and acquaintances increased, and I bade fair to sink into the condition of a wandering desultory man, without a fixed purpose in life of any sort, when I was saved by what has saved many another in my situation — an attachment to a good and a sensible woman. By the time I had reached the age of thirty-five, I had done what neither of my brothers had done before me — I had married.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Three brothers must keep a young girl, Jessie who is staying with the old men for a short time so that she fulfills the requirements of her father's will. Brother Griffith has a son who is in love with Jessie and wants his father to keep her there until his ship arrives and he can win her heart. The old men entertain the girl with a story every night for ten days which keeps her there longer until George can make his case for marriage which she accepts. This happy ending of course is predictable but enjoyable nonetheless.
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For the next twenty years my married life was a scene of happiness and prosperity, on which I now look back with a grateful tenderness
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that no words of mine can express. The memory of my wife is busy at my heart while I think of those past times.
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Let me pass rapidly over the one unspeakable misery of my life; let me try to remember now, as I tried to remember then, that she lived to see our only child — our son, who was so good to her, who is still so good to me — grow up to manhood; that her head lay on my bosom
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when she died; and that the last frail movement of her hand in this world was the movement that brought it closer to her boy’s lips.
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If my son George had desired to follow my profession, I should still have struggled against myself, and have kept
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my place in the world until I had seen h im prosperous and settled. But his choice led him to the army; and before his mother’s death he had obtained his commission, and had entered on his path in life.
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How many years have passed since we have all three been united it is not necessary to relate. It will be more to the purpose if I briefly record that we have never been separated since the day which first saw
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us assembled together in our hillside retreat; that we have never yet wearied of the time, of the place, or of ourselves; and that the influence of solitude on our hearts and minds has not altered them for the worse, for it has not embittered us toward our fellow-creatures, and it has not dried up in us the sources from which harmless occupations and innocent pleasures may flow refreshingly to the last over the waste places of human life.
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Imagine such a place of abode as this, and such inhabitants of it as ourselves, and them picture the descent among us — as of a goddess dropping from the clouds — of a lively, handsome, fashionable young lady — a bright, gay, butterfly creature, used to flutter away its existence in the broad sunshine of perpetual gayety — a child of the new generation, with all the modern ideas whirling together in her pretty head, and all the modern accomplishments at the tips of her delicate fingers. Imagine such
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a light-hearted daughter of Eve as this, the spoiled darling of society, the charming spendthrift of Nature’s choicest treasures of beauty and youth, suddenly flashing into the dim life of three weary old men — suddenly dropped into the place, of all others, which is least fit for her — suddenly shut out from the world in the lonely quiet of the loneliest home in England.
*** The three brothers live in Glen Towers- Owen from the church inherits the Towers and being ill in health, Morgan the doctor looks after his brother. Griffith, the lawyer and the only one who married and had a son named George who went into the military.
*"Siege of the Black Cottage"
*"The Family Secret"
*"The Dream Woman"
*"Mad Monkton"
*"The Dead Hand"
*"The Biter Bit"
*"The Parson's Scruple"
*"A Plot in Private Life"
*"Fauntleroy"
*"Anne Rodway"
I enjoyed them all.
Story in short-Three Brothers tell 10 different stories that concern something that happened regarding their professions, one is a doctor, and the other two are a parson and a lawyer.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
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We are three brothers; and we live in a barbarous, dismal old house called The Glen Tower. Our place of abode stands in a hilly, lonesome district of South Wales. No such
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thing as a line of railway runs anywhere near us. No gentleman’s seat is within an easy drive of us. We are at an unspeakably inconvenient distance from a town, and the village to which we send for our letters is three miles off. My eldest brother, Owen, was brought up to the Church. All the prime of his life was passed in a populous London parish. For more years than I now like to reckon up, he worked unremittingly, in defiance of failing health and adverse fortune, amid the multitudinous misery of the London poor; and he would, in all probability, have sacrificed his life to his duty long before the present time if The Glen Tower had not come into his possession through two unexpected deaths in the elder and richer branch of our family. This opening to him of a place of rest and refuge saved his life. No man ever drew breath who better deserved the gifts of fortune; for no man, I sincerely believe, more tender of others, more diffident of himself, more gentle, more generous, and more simple-hearted
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hearted than Owen, ever walked this earth. My second brother, Morgan, started in life as a doctor, and learned all that his profession could teach him at home and abroad. He realized a moderate independence by his practice, beginning in one of our large northern towns and ending as a physician in London; but, although he was well known and appreciated among his brethren, he failed to gain that sort of reputation with the public which elevates a man into the position of a great
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doctor. The ladies never liked him. In the first place, he was ugly (Morgan will excuse me for mentioning this); in the second place, he was an inveterate smoker, and he smelled of tobacco when he felt languid pulses in elegant bedrooms; in the third place, he was the most formidably outspoken teller of the truth as regarded himself, his profession, and his patients, that ever imperiled the social standing of the science of medicine. For these reasons, and for others which it is not necessary to mention, he never pushed his way,
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as a doctor, into the front ranks, and he never cared to do so. About a year after Owen came into possession of The Glen Tower, Morgan discovered that he had saved as much money for his old age as a sensible man could want; that he was tired of the active pursuit — or, as he termed it, of the dignified quackery of his profession; and that it was only common charity to give his invalid brother a companion who could physic him for nothing, and so prevent him from getting rid of his money in the worst of all possible
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ways, by wasting it on doctors’ bills. In a week after Morgan had arrived at these conclusions, he was settled at The Glen Tower; and from that time, opposite as their characters were, my two elder brothers lived together in their lonely retreat, thoroughly understanding, and, in their very different ways, heartily loving one another. Many years passed before I, the youngest of the three — christened by the unmelodious name of Griffith — found my way, in my turn, to the dreary old house, and
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the sheltering quiet of the Welsh hills. My career in life had led me away from my brothers; and even now, when we are all united, I have still ties and interests to connect me with the outer world which neither Owen nor Morgan possess. I was brought up to the Bar. After my first year’s study of the law, I wearied of it, and strayed aside idly into the brighter and more attractive paths of literature. My occasional occupation with my pen was varied by long traveling excursions in all parts of the Continent; year
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by year my circle of gay friends and acquaintances increased, and I bade fair to sink into the condition of a wandering desultory man, without a fixed purpose in life of any sort, when I was saved by what has saved many another in my situation — an attachment to a good and a sensible woman. By the time I had reached the age of thirty-five, I had done what neither of my brothers had done before me — I had married.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Three brothers must keep a young girl, Jessie who is staying with the old men for a short time so that she fulfills the requirements of her father's will. Brother Griffith has a son who is in love with Jessie and wants his father to keep her there until his ship arrives and he can win her heart. The old men entertain the girl with a story every night for ten days which keeps her there longer until George can make his case for marriage which she accepts. This happy ending of course is predictable but enjoyable nonetheless.
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For the next twenty years my married life was a scene of happiness and prosperity, on which I now look back with a grateful tenderness
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that no words of mine can express. The memory of my wife is busy at my heart while I think of those past times.
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Let me pass rapidly over the one unspeakable misery of my life; let me try to remember now, as I tried to remember then, that she lived to see our only child — our son, who was so good to her, who is still so good to me — grow up to manhood; that her head lay on my bosom
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when she died; and that the last frail movement of her hand in this world was the movement that brought it closer to her boy’s lips.
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If my son George had desired to follow my profession, I should still have struggled against myself, and have kept
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my place in the world until I had seen h im prosperous and settled. But his choice led him to the army; and before his mother’s death he had obtained his commission, and had entered on his path in life.
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How many years have passed since we have all three been united it is not necessary to relate. It will be more to the purpose if I briefly record that we have never been separated since the day which first saw
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us assembled together in our hillside retreat; that we have never yet wearied of the time, of the place, or of ourselves; and that the influence of solitude on our hearts and minds has not altered them for the worse, for it has not embittered us toward our fellow-creatures, and it has not dried up in us the sources from which harmless occupations and innocent pleasures may flow refreshingly to the last over the waste places of human life.
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Imagine such a place of abode as this, and such inhabitants of it as ourselves, and them picture the descent among us — as of a goddess dropping from the clouds — of a lively, handsome, fashionable young lady — a bright, gay, butterfly creature, used to flutter away its existence in the broad sunshine of perpetual gayety — a child of the new generation, with all the modern ideas whirling together in her pretty head, and all the modern accomplishments at the tips of her delicate fingers. Imagine such
Highlight (Yellow) and Note | Location 158425
a light-hearted daughter of Eve as this, the spoiled darling of society, the charming spendthrift of Nature’s choicest treasures of beauty and youth, suddenly flashing into the dim life of three weary old men — suddenly dropped into the place, of all others, which is least fit for her — suddenly shut out from the world in the lonely quiet of the loneliest home in England.
*** The three brothers live in Glen Towers- Owen from the church inherits the Towers and being ill in health, Morgan the doctor looks after his brother. Griffith, the lawyer and the only one who married and had a son named George who went into the military.
August 24, 2016
Este libro lo compre en el Fondo de Cultura de la Ciudad de México, en uno de mis paseos por el eje central. Anteriormente una visita a México y específicamente a la zona del Palacio de Bellas Artes era un sinónimo de visitar librerías; primero de viejo, posteriormente las nuevas. Era una aventura en la que me gustaba emprender cada cierto tiempo... y cada cierto tiempo acababa con el bolsillo roto porque no podía dejar pasar la oportunidad de tener en mis manos todos esos libros.
A partir de que compré el Reader he dejado un poco esa costumbre (debido al reader y a los constantes recordatorios de Agustín). Ahora leo mas... pero compro menos. Aunque sigo reacia a dejar al cien por ciento esta manía de decorar las paredes de mi casa con lomos de libros.
A partir de que compré el Reader he dejado un poco esa costumbre (debido al reader y a los constantes recordatorios de Agustín). Ahora leo mas... pero compro menos. Aunque sigo reacia a dejar al cien por ciento esta manía de decorar las paredes de mi casa con lomos de libros.
La llegada a The Glen Tower de Jessie, joven ahijada de Griffith, un anciano caballero inglés que comparte esta casa de campo con sus dos hermanos, también viejos y solos en el mundo, hace que la vida de estos caballeros se ponga súbitamente patas arriba. Lo que en principio no parecía más que un estorbo acaba convirtiéndose en una auténtica aventura, ya que los tres ancianos tendrán que ingeniárselas para que su invitada, una joven vivaracha y algo superficial, prolongue su estancia en su hogar. Con este fin, urden un plan magistral: entretener a la muchacha contándole una historia diferente cada noche, como si de un moderno "Decamerón Victoriano" se tratase. Y así, la trama principal, con la hermosa campiña inglesa como telón de fondo magníficamente descrita, sirve para desgranar diez narraciones distintas en las que el autor despliega su gran maestría literaria al tocar todo tipo de géneros, desde la novela de misterio al folletín, pasando por el cuento moral o la narración humorística.
November 3, 2012
Although it took me months to finish reading this collection of short stories by Wilkie Collins, I still found most of it to be delightful. I just LOVED the framework of this book. Three old men are entertaining a young lady, Jessie Yelverton. (I believe one of the men is one of her guardians?). As her visit draws to a close, one of the men in hopes of keeping her around just long enough for his son to return home--he would love to have her for a daughter-in-law--proposes that she stay for ten more nights to hear ten stories. The brothers will take turns writing/telling/sharing stories. In between each of the stories, there is narrative linking them all together. The three brothers are Griffith, Owen, and Morgan. The ten stories are: Brother Owen's Story of the Black Cottage, Brother Griffith's Story of the Family Secret, Brother Morgan's Story of The Dream Woman, Brother Griffith's Story of Mad Monkton, Brother Morgan's Story of The Dead Hand, Brother Griffith's Story of the Biter Bit, Brother Owen's Story of the Parson's Scruple, Brother Griffith's Story of A Plot in Private Life, Brother Morgan's Story of Fauntleroy, Brother Owen's Story of Anne Rodway.
September 30, 2024
-The author has crafted a novel that has within it, multiple interesting stories, similar to his book, After Dark. In this novel, we’re introduced to the main character, who is the youngest of 3 brothers and all are a little past middle age and living together. The eldest, Owen, was a pastor and he is the owner of the home and estate they now live in by virtue of his being the eldest, though without an heir himself as he’s never been married. The next, Morgan, was a doctor, and he carries a blunt way of dictating his feelings. He’s described as an unattractive man who never had great success in his profession, but still managed to save a certain amount of money to make himself comfortable in his later years. He, too, had never married and is also without children. The youngest is the main character, Griffith, who is telling the story, and he had been married and has a son, George, who is serving in the British army overseas. George will be heir to the estate after the passing of the brothers.
-Griffith had befriended a man in his early years who had a single daughter. The man had a sizable estate, and made a provision for his daughter, Jessie, in his will, that she was to live in her aunt and uncle’s home for six weeks out of the year, or was to live by Griffith for that same period, through her 21st year. If she did so, she would have full control of her inheritance. After her father’s passing, she chose to live by her uncle in accordance with the will, but before she turned 21, her uncle had passed away, so that to complete the dictates of the will, she was to stay by Griffith.
-The thought of caring for a young girl within a household of 3 older man put a great deal of fear into Griffith. Griffith barely knew the girl, though his son, George, had often visited her over the years. How would the 3 elderly brothers keep her occupied during those weeks and where in the house, which was set up to accommodate an older man, would she live? Knowing the date several weeks in advance that she was to arrive, Griffith made plans to reserve a newer part of the home which was more exposed to the light for her. New furniture was ordered and curtains of a fabric more suited to the young was to be placed in the rooms they set aside for her. Books were purchased to keep her occupied and a horse that she could ride was obtained.
-All was planned perfectly when a letter from George arrived. In the letter, George advised his father that over the years he had grown to love Jessie, and he knew when she would be arriving and the date of her departure from her father. He wanted to ask for Jessie’s hand in marriage and he was expected to arrive to his father back in England on the last day of her stay by him. He asked that his father not reveal to the young girl George’s intentions but would ask for her hand himself.
-The plans for the renovations were coming together. It was now ten days before the expected arrival when Griffith saw a carriage in the distance and coming to their estate. To his shock, it was Jessie, who had decided to come early. She was an outgoing, and friendly and attractive girl, who had a way about her which made others immediately comfortable. She made herself at home and insisted on staying in the regular rooms of the house and had no pretensions about her.
-All during her stay, Griffith wondered how he would convince her to stay longer so that his son could ask for her hand, but, as the end of her stay approached, she sadly said that though she enjoyed being with Griffith and his brothers, her mother, who was still living, looked forward to her return home once the six weeks was complete. Jessie had remarked that the books that Griffith had bought were of no interest to her, but she greatly enjoyed the stories told by the brothers of events that happened in their lives. From this Griffith had an idea.
-He approached his brothers and they all agreed to write out stories of unusual events which would captivate the young Jessie. A total of ten stories were need to cover the ten days that they needed her to delay, which would perfectly align with the arrival of George.
-The brothers all set out to prepare their stories and when most were complete, they told Jessie what they’re writing to convince her to extend her stay. After the first of the stories, she knew that she would enjoy the rest and that these next nights will be the highlight of her trip. It is within the author’s writing of Griffith’s hopes of the arrival of the ship his son is to be on that these stories are all told. As the date of his son’s expected arrival nears, and after each succeeding story by one of the brothers, with no mention of the arrival of the ship, Griffith wonders if he should reveal his son’s plans to the young girl.
-The highly descriptive prose of the author makes this a delight to read. We get a full insight in the emotions of each of the characters from when they participate in the preparations for Jessie’s arrival, to their shyness at having to read the stories as their turn arrives for that evening ritual, to the sharing of their fear that Jessie will depart before George arrives to ask for Jessie’s hand.
-As in all his books, this prolific writer continues to be imaginative in his various stories. His ability to come up with stories that affect not only the people of his century but even our own shows why he remains one of the most successful writers of the 19th century and should be a favorite of those readers of our time who have picked up his books.
-Griffith had befriended a man in his early years who had a single daughter. The man had a sizable estate, and made a provision for his daughter, Jessie, in his will, that she was to live in her aunt and uncle’s home for six weeks out of the year, or was to live by Griffith for that same period, through her 21st year. If she did so, she would have full control of her inheritance. After her father’s passing, she chose to live by her uncle in accordance with the will, but before she turned 21, her uncle had passed away, so that to complete the dictates of the will, she was to stay by Griffith.
-The thought of caring for a young girl within a household of 3 older man put a great deal of fear into Griffith. Griffith barely knew the girl, though his son, George, had often visited her over the years. How would the 3 elderly brothers keep her occupied during those weeks and where in the house, which was set up to accommodate an older man, would she live? Knowing the date several weeks in advance that she was to arrive, Griffith made plans to reserve a newer part of the home which was more exposed to the light for her. New furniture was ordered and curtains of a fabric more suited to the young was to be placed in the rooms they set aside for her. Books were purchased to keep her occupied and a horse that she could ride was obtained.
-All was planned perfectly when a letter from George arrived. In the letter, George advised his father that over the years he had grown to love Jessie, and he knew when she would be arriving and the date of her departure from her father. He wanted to ask for Jessie’s hand in marriage and he was expected to arrive to his father back in England on the last day of her stay by him. He asked that his father not reveal to the young girl George’s intentions but would ask for her hand himself.
-The plans for the renovations were coming together. It was now ten days before the expected arrival when Griffith saw a carriage in the distance and coming to their estate. To his shock, it was Jessie, who had decided to come early. She was an outgoing, and friendly and attractive girl, who had a way about her which made others immediately comfortable. She made herself at home and insisted on staying in the regular rooms of the house and had no pretensions about her.
-All during her stay, Griffith wondered how he would convince her to stay longer so that his son could ask for her hand, but, as the end of her stay approached, she sadly said that though she enjoyed being with Griffith and his brothers, her mother, who was still living, looked forward to her return home once the six weeks was complete. Jessie had remarked that the books that Griffith had bought were of no interest to her, but she greatly enjoyed the stories told by the brothers of events that happened in their lives. From this Griffith had an idea.
-He approached his brothers and they all agreed to write out stories of unusual events which would captivate the young Jessie. A total of ten stories were need to cover the ten days that they needed her to delay, which would perfectly align with the arrival of George.
-The brothers all set out to prepare their stories and when most were complete, they told Jessie what they’re writing to convince her to extend her stay. After the first of the stories, she knew that she would enjoy the rest and that these next nights will be the highlight of her trip. It is within the author’s writing of Griffith’s hopes of the arrival of the ship his son is to be on that these stories are all told. As the date of his son’s expected arrival nears, and after each succeeding story by one of the brothers, with no mention of the arrival of the ship, Griffith wonders if he should reveal his son’s plans to the young girl.
-The highly descriptive prose of the author makes this a delight to read. We get a full insight in the emotions of each of the characters from when they participate in the preparations for Jessie’s arrival, to their shyness at having to read the stories as their turn arrives for that evening ritual, to the sharing of their fear that Jessie will depart before George arrives to ask for Jessie’s hand.
-As in all his books, this prolific writer continues to be imaginative in his various stories. His ability to come up with stories that affect not only the people of his century but even our own shows why he remains one of the most successful writers of the 19th century and should be a favorite of those readers of our time who have picked up his books.
January 6, 2019
I’ve just finished reading The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins. For this review, I want to talk about the structure of this book, without giving away any of the plots points of the stories themselves. Yes, stories (plural)—this book is ten short stories, included inside of a framing story.
The first forty pages starts out with three elderly brothers, a lawyer, a doctor and a clergyman, all of them retired and living together at The Glen Tower. They each have their own distinct personalities and eccentricities that are revealed in the first few pages of the book. One of the brothers, Griffith, is guardian to his dear friend’s daughter, Jessie Yelverton, who comes to stay with them for a few weeks. We are only given a tiny glimpse into Jessie’s character and humor through one brief incident when she and three of her schoolmates dance a quadrille (which is a square dance) dressed up as the Queens of Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs. In this one scenario, Jessie is the one dressed as the Queen of Hearts and this is her given nickname throughout the book and the book’s title. The brothers want to keep Jessie at Glen Tower for a key plot point that I won’t reveal here, and so they go to great lengths to bend over backwards for her by writing and reading a short story each night for ten nights to entertain and keep her from leaving them. We know she has some amount of personality from the initial Queen of Hearts reference, but then she is just sitting and listening to these stories for the rest of the book. Why is she worth all of this effort? The book is not necessarily about her as an individual, but I still think that Wilkie missed an opportunity to give us more insight and understanding into her character which he could have done without giving away the ending. I felt the few paragraphs he gives us about her are not enough for me to feel like all the effort by the brothers was worth it.
Wilkie is consistently the consummate storyteller. He uses women as heroes in his stories, and I am pleased to say that most of the short stories are good enough in my opinion to have become their own novel-length books. A couple of the stories (read on the sixth day and the tenth day), I could have done without and having to read through ten of them to get to the end of the book seemed too many for me during these two stories. The end of the book is only five pages after the last short story. This was a major disappointment; for some reason I was expecting more in the ending.
Some characters give over-the-top, melodramatic reactions to their circumstances, but this is consistent with the Victorian times of the 1800s and with Wilkie’s style. A common theme throughout the stories, including the framing story, is love and/or marriage, and some of these include dysfunctional relationships as encountered by the brothers through their individual professions as lawyer, doctor and clergyman.
Since I’m already an invested Wilkie Collins’ fan, no review could keep me from reading any of his books, but I’m on the fence when it comes to recommending this one. If you have not read his books before, I recommend that you start with The Woman in White, Armadale or No Name.
But you really can’t lose because this book is in the public domain which means it’s free for you to read or listen to on Gutenberg.org or Librivox.org. If you decide to place your bets on The Queen of Hearts, find a quiet place and read or listen to this one.
The first forty pages starts out with three elderly brothers, a lawyer, a doctor and a clergyman, all of them retired and living together at The Glen Tower. They each have their own distinct personalities and eccentricities that are revealed in the first few pages of the book. One of the brothers, Griffith, is guardian to his dear friend’s daughter, Jessie Yelverton, who comes to stay with them for a few weeks. We are only given a tiny glimpse into Jessie’s character and humor through one brief incident when she and three of her schoolmates dance a quadrille (which is a square dance) dressed up as the Queens of Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs. In this one scenario, Jessie is the one dressed as the Queen of Hearts and this is her given nickname throughout the book and the book’s title. The brothers want to keep Jessie at Glen Tower for a key plot point that I won’t reveal here, and so they go to great lengths to bend over backwards for her by writing and reading a short story each night for ten nights to entertain and keep her from leaving them. We know she has some amount of personality from the initial Queen of Hearts reference, but then she is just sitting and listening to these stories for the rest of the book. Why is she worth all of this effort? The book is not necessarily about her as an individual, but I still think that Wilkie missed an opportunity to give us more insight and understanding into her character which he could have done without giving away the ending. I felt the few paragraphs he gives us about her are not enough for me to feel like all the effort by the brothers was worth it.
Wilkie is consistently the consummate storyteller. He uses women as heroes in his stories, and I am pleased to say that most of the short stories are good enough in my opinion to have become their own novel-length books. A couple of the stories (read on the sixth day and the tenth day), I could have done without and having to read through ten of them to get to the end of the book seemed too many for me during these two stories. The end of the book is only five pages after the last short story. This was a major disappointment; for some reason I was expecting more in the ending.
Some characters give over-the-top, melodramatic reactions to their circumstances, but this is consistent with the Victorian times of the 1800s and with Wilkie’s style. A common theme throughout the stories, including the framing story, is love and/or marriage, and some of these include dysfunctional relationships as encountered by the brothers through their individual professions as lawyer, doctor and clergyman.
Since I’m already an invested Wilkie Collins’ fan, no review could keep me from reading any of his books, but I’m on the fence when it comes to recommending this one. If you have not read his books before, I recommend that you start with The Woman in White, Armadale or No Name.
But you really can’t lose because this book is in the public domain which means it’s free for you to read or listen to on Gutenberg.org or Librivox.org. If you decide to place your bets on The Queen of Hearts, find a quiet place and read or listen to this one.
July 12, 2022
For someone new to Wilkie Collins, I highly recommend this book. You're in for a treat. This novel shows Collins breath of talent.
The novel is about a young woman Jessie Yelverton (also known as the Queen of Hearts), 20 years of age who will soon inherit the legacy from her dead parents. Through an odd set of circumstances, Jessie is compelled to stay at one of her guardian's abode for six weeks prior to her 21st birthday. The guardian's name is Griffith who is a lawyer and lives with his two older brothers (a minister and a doctor) in a remote part of the Welsh moor. Griffith is the only brother to have married and has a son who is serving in the Cremian War (1853-1856).
Toward the end of Jessie's stay at the moor, Griffith gets a letter from his son George saying that he had been injured during the war but was now recovered from his wounds and is free to return home. George asks his father to keep Jessie ten more days after her expected departure so that he can arrive before she departs to ask Jessie to marry him. George also asks that his father not to tell Jessie his plans of proposal. After Griffith thinks this over, he enlists his brothers to think of interesting stories which will be read each of the ten days to keep Jessie's interest until George can arrive. The brothers all go through their records and memories and write ten stories in total. This is where the novel gets interesting because this means that the reader is treated to ten short stories of varying types. They include suspense, mystery, ghost stories, stories which describe pre-cognition and spiritualism, detective stories, marriage, divorce, bigamy, acts of kindness and inspirational stories. As you can see this is quite an assortment of stories of different types and all of them are very much worth reading.
The novel is about a young woman Jessie Yelverton (also known as the Queen of Hearts), 20 years of age who will soon inherit the legacy from her dead parents. Through an odd set of circumstances, Jessie is compelled to stay at one of her guardian's abode for six weeks prior to her 21st birthday. The guardian's name is Griffith who is a lawyer and lives with his two older brothers (a minister and a doctor) in a remote part of the Welsh moor. Griffith is the only brother to have married and has a son who is serving in the Cremian War (1853-1856).
Toward the end of Jessie's stay at the moor, Griffith gets a letter from his son George saying that he had been injured during the war but was now recovered from his wounds and is free to return home. George asks his father to keep Jessie ten more days after her expected departure so that he can arrive before she departs to ask Jessie to marry him. George also asks that his father not to tell Jessie his plans of proposal. After Griffith thinks this over, he enlists his brothers to think of interesting stories which will be read each of the ten days to keep Jessie's interest until George can arrive. The brothers all go through their records and memories and write ten stories in total. This is where the novel gets interesting because this means that the reader is treated to ten short stories of varying types. They include suspense, mystery, ghost stories, stories which describe pre-cognition and spiritualism, detective stories, marriage, divorce, bigamy, acts of kindness and inspirational stories. As you can see this is quite an assortment of stories of different types and all of them are very much worth reading.
November 28, 2022
A Collection of ten short stories set within the connecting narrative of The Queen of Hearts. 'The Queen of Hearts' is the school nickname of Jessie Yelverton who arranges to stay for six weeks with her elderly guardian, Griffith, a retired lawyer. Griffith lives with his two brothers, Owen the clergyman and Morgan the doctor, in an isolated tower standing in a glen; in past times it was the fortress of a fighting Welsh chieftain in South Wales. Griffith's son, George, is in love with Jessie and the three brothers set out to delay her departure for ten days so that George can propose on his return from the Crimean war. In a kind of Arabian Nights storytelling, the three brothers draw on their professional experiences to entertain their young guest with a different story each evening.
CONTENTS:
QUEEN OF HEARTS 5⭐
CUAPTEE I. — Ourselves ✔
CRAPTEE II. — Our Dilemma ✔
CIIAPTEE III. — Our Young Lady ✔
CHAPTEE IV. — Our Grand Project ✔
THE TEN DAYS
THE FIRST DAY:
Brother Owen’s Story of The Siege Black Cottage 5⭐
THE SECOND DAY:
Brother Griffith’s Story of The Family Secret 5⭐
THE THIRD DAY:
Brother M0rgan's Story of The Dream-Woman 4⭐
THE FOURTH DAY:
Brother Griffiths Story of Mad Monkton 4.5⭐
THE FIFTH DAY:
Brother Morgans Story of The Dead Hand 3.25⭐
THE SIXTH DAY:
BKOTHER Griffith’s Story of The Biter Bit 3⭐
THE SEVENTH DAY:
BROTHER Owens Story of The Parson’s Scruple 3⭐
THE EIGHTH DAY:
Bother Griffith’s Story of A Plot In Private Life 5⭐
THE NINTH DAY:
Brother Morgan’s Story of Fauntleroy 5⭐
THE TENTH DAY:
Brother Owen’s story of Anne Rodway 5⭐
THE NIGHT ✔
THE MORNING ✔
CONTENTS:
QUEEN OF HEARTS 5⭐
CUAPTEE I. — Ourselves ✔
CRAPTEE II. — Our Dilemma ✔
CIIAPTEE III. — Our Young Lady ✔
CHAPTEE IV. — Our Grand Project ✔
THE TEN DAYS
THE FIRST DAY:
Brother Owen’s Story of The Siege Black Cottage 5⭐
THE SECOND DAY:
Brother Griffith’s Story of The Family Secret 5⭐
THE THIRD DAY:
Brother M0rgan's Story of The Dream-Woman 4⭐
THE FOURTH DAY:
Brother Griffiths Story of Mad Monkton 4.5⭐
THE FIFTH DAY:
Brother Morgans Story of The Dead Hand 3.25⭐
THE SIXTH DAY:
BKOTHER Griffith’s Story of The Biter Bit 3⭐
THE SEVENTH DAY:
BROTHER Owens Story of The Parson’s Scruple 3⭐
THE EIGHTH DAY:
Bother Griffith’s Story of A Plot In Private Life 5⭐
THE NINTH DAY:
Brother Morgan’s Story of Fauntleroy 5⭐
THE TENTH DAY:
Brother Owen’s story of Anne Rodway 5⭐
THE NIGHT ✔
THE MORNING ✔
March 10, 2018
(read in the Project Gutenberg edition, which is pretty free of typos) A collection of stories told to entertain a young woman. The usual Wilkie mix of suspense, humor, and memorable characters: I'd love to read more about Mr. Dark ("A Plot in Private Life"), who's one of Collins' eccentric geniuses. "The Siege of the Black Cottage" and "The Dead Hand" are genuinely tense. (How would I react if I had to share a room with a corpse?) "Anne Rodway" is an interesting bit of amateur detecting. Of two minds about "The Parson's Scruple," which seems unclear on whether or not the parson is to be admired for sticking with what he preaches, or disdained for being so inhuman.
I do love Collins' women, who are much more realistic than Dickens': heroines are generally level-headed, and there's none of that tweeness Dickens indulged in. The heroine of "Black Cottage" does an excellent job of holding off bad guys, and Anne Rodway is admirable in her quest to give her friend a dignity in death that she was denied in life. His male characters are great, too, from the scrupulously loyal narrator in "Plot in Private Life" to Mr. Dark, the jolly-looking investigator who interviews people without seeming to (and poor Mr. Meeke!). There is some racism here, though, with a biracial character being insulted almost every time she appears (though that's also because of who's telling the story).
All in all, a nice collection of entertaining stories.
I do love Collins' women, who are much more realistic than Dickens': heroines are generally level-headed, and there's none of that tweeness Dickens indulged in. The heroine of "Black Cottage" does an excellent job of holding off bad guys, and Anne Rodway is admirable in her quest to give her friend a dignity in death that she was denied in life. His male characters are great, too, from the scrupulously loyal narrator in "Plot in Private Life" to Mr. Dark, the jolly-looking investigator who interviews people without seeming to (and poor Mr. Meeke!). There is some racism here, though, with a biracial character being insulted almost every time she appears (though that's also because of who's telling the story).
All in all, a nice collection of entertaining stories.
March 10, 2024
This is one of Wilkie's most light-hearted works ever. It has a loose and unconvincing taradiddle of a framework, about a young girl immured in a grim old Welsh castle for six weeks with three of the most butter-hearted old men ever seen in fiction, despite their exteriors, as craggy as any Welsh mountain. These three men have to keep the girl in thrall for the last ten days of the required period of her enforced stay.
So there is a plot to entertain the young lady each night with a story. And such stories! Wilkie Collins hurls everything he has at these Arabian nights: chicanery, escapes at sea, financial disaster, great love and devotion, the dark streets of London, bigamy, murder, court scenes, madness, illness, drink, youth and beauty – a fascinating collection of stories. Longer then the average magazine-length short story, but not long enough to be a novella, these are the perfect length for a magazine to run as a serial story for four or five issues. Collins’s love of detection comes into play in almost all the stories, and his vast sense of humour finds expression both in the framework structure rather than in the stories themselves, some of which are deeply tragic.
So there is a plot to entertain the young lady each night with a story. And such stories! Wilkie Collins hurls everything he has at these Arabian nights: chicanery, escapes at sea, financial disaster, great love and devotion, the dark streets of London, bigamy, murder, court scenes, madness, illness, drink, youth and beauty – a fascinating collection of stories. Longer then the average magazine-length short story, but not long enough to be a novella, these are the perfect length for a magazine to run as a serial story for four or five issues. Collins’s love of detection comes into play in almost all the stories, and his vast sense of humour finds expression both in the framework structure rather than in the stories themselves, some of which are deeply tragic.
January 27, 2018
I've liked everything I've read by Wilkie Collins but this collection of 10 short stories (plus an 11th story to provide the framework for the others) was merely okay. And for some reason I expected ghost stories (I don't know why) but these stories were more like character studies with a light mystery.
I like Wilkie Collins' writing and his characters. But if you haven't read anything by him, I'd recommend The Woman in White or The Moonstone instead.
I like Wilkie Collins' writing and his characters. But if you haven't read anything by him, I'd recommend The Woman in White or The Moonstone instead.
June 26, 2022
Wilkie Collins usually surprises me because he is so easy to read. With the early mystery writers there is usually a lot of flowery description and other nonsense that my modern brain can’t take. I took up this collection because one of the stories in it purports to be the first story of a female detective. I was going to to just read that bit and forget the rest, but I was drawn and wasn’t sorry I did. He put the tales together in a time honored fashion and I even had a little year in my eye at the end.
January 7, 2019
When I saw that this book consisted of a number of short stories, I hesitated to read it. I really enjoy novels over short stories, but I am so glad that I read this! The short stories are interspersed within the main plot of the book, and are themselves fabulous. The main story plot is delightful, and the stories add greatly to the expectations as we move through the novel. Originally published in 1859, I listened to this novel as a free download from LibriVox.org.
April 12, 2023
Charming
The Queen of Hearts, by Wilkie Collins, is a charming book with eccentric characters and interesting atmosphere. It is a series of stories within a story. There is very little plot. It doesn't belong to the same genre as Woman in White, his most famous work. I found it an agreeable thing to pass a few hours, but it is a very mild form of entertainment.
The Queen of Hearts, by Wilkie Collins, is a charming book with eccentric characters and interesting atmosphere. It is a series of stories within a story. There is very little plot. It doesn't belong to the same genre as Woman in White, his most famous work. I found it an agreeable thing to pass a few hours, but it is a very mild form of entertainment.
November 19, 2023
Sort of a Victorian Tales of Scheherazade! Three old gentlemen have to keep a young lady from leaving their estate before their son/nephew can return from the Crimean War and propose marriage to her. The only way they can persuade her to stay is to tell her a story a night, from their early lives. The stories are gripping and affecting, and I liked all the characters, too.
August 31, 2019
Another great take from the master of storytelling
December 14, 2019
4,5 estrellas
Reseña completa aquí -> http://inquilinasnetherfield.blogspot...
Reseña completa aquí -> http://inquilinasnetherfield.blogspot...
February 29, 2020
Es una novela con varios relatos dentro de la novela. Algunos han estado muy bien, otros normalitos, pero en sí explosivo como suelen ser las historias de Wilkie Collins para mí sólo ha habido uno (el del loco de la familia que tiene que enterrar a su familiar).
August 4, 2020
Loved the short stories within the broader narrative....each one was riveting, entertaining, and well written. I will certainly read more of Collins in the future.
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