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After Dark
"I must also gratefully acknowledge an obligation of another kind to the accomplished artist, Mr. W. S. Herrick, to whom I am indebted for the curious and interesting facts on which the tales of 'The Terribly Strange Bed' and 'The Yellow Mask' are founded. Although the statement may appear somewhat superfluous to those who know me, it may not be out of place to add, in conclusion, that these stories are entirely of my own imagining, constructing, and writing. The fact that the events of some of my tales occur on foreign ground, and are acted out by foreign personages, appears to have suggested in some quarters the inference that the stories themselves might be of foreign origin. Let me, once for all, assure any readers who may honor me with their attention, that in this, and in all other cases, they may depend on the genuineness of my literary offspring. The little children of my brain may be weakly enough, and may be sadly in want of a helping hand to aid them in their first attempts at walking on the stage of this great world; but, at any rate, they are not borrowed children. The members of my own literary family are indeed increasing so fast as to render the very idea of borrowing quite out of the question, and to suggest serious apprehension that I may not have done adding to the large book-population, on my own sole responsibility, even yet." -- Wilkie Collins
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1856
107 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
Wilkie Collins
2,366 books2,936 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 5, 2022
Excellent stories. Three are equally as good as his longer novels. A couple of the stories were related partially to the French revolution and included suspense. Another had some mystery to it. I enjoyed them all. The readers all did a fine job.
September 27, 2016
I read the edition provided free from Kindle under the anthology title "Greatest Mystery Collection". This is a collection of six short stories and novellas, of varying length and quality, all of which had previously appeared in periodical form except for "The Lady of Glenworth Grange". The stories are embedded in a fairly extended apparatus, consisting of formal introductions to each story, including character sketches of the supposed narrators, by a fictitious portrait artist taking a rest for his ill eyes, and diary entries from the artist's wife, giving the human touch and telling the story of her husband's illness and her own inspiration that he could sell said stories to make ends meet.
Collins is a decent writer and he gets away with this hodge-podge quite convincingly. Here's a quick rundown of the embedded stories.
(1) A Terribly Strange Bed. A short but nice piece of gruesome urban Gothic, tapping into a fear that would have occurred far oftener to Collins' readers: being suffocated by a four-poster bed! (In a gambling den, of course!)
(2) A Stolen Letter. This is a forgettable story, told in a rather arch tone by a lawyer who clearly aspires to be a detective, about his adventures finding a blackmailing letter under a carpet, using an obscure clue about the carpet pattern.
(3) Sister Rose. This is a French Revolution novella - long and fairly gripping - centred around a brother and a sister who makes a bad marriage to a man who rises to some power within the first years of the Terror. The husband ends up denouncing (deliberately) the brother and (accidentally) the sister, but there is a character, not a conventionally attractive one, who gets them out of their situation and becomes a close friend. I was going to say there were definite influences of Tale of Two Cities here, both in the milieu and in the characterization, but I see that this novella predates Dickens' novel by several years. Given that the novella first appeared in a Dickens periodical, I don't think you could deny there was likely some cross-fertilization going on. For this story more than some of the others, by the way, the connection to the embedding narrative is tenuous in the extreme.
(4) The Lady of Glenwith Grange. A solitary woman in a large house - therefore odd by definition - proves to have a traumatic past, having lost her purpose in life, which was looking after her spoiled younger sister Rosamond. Rosamond married an impostor aristocrat, and then died giving birth to his brain-damaged daughter. She is, however, civil and sociable to her occasional visitors, and benevolent in her works, and therefore not quite in the league of solitary damaged women in big houses like Miss Havisham or Rochester's mad wife.
(5) The Nun's Story of Gabriel's Marriage. Set in France, this is again rather Gothic. Gabriel, the middle generation in a fishing family, finds out that his father Francois once attempted murder of a young visitor, and dumped his body in a local smuggling cache. What neither Gabriel nor Francois knows is that young man survived, became a notable priest, and returned to make his peace with Francois. He tells his story to first to Gabriel, whose conscience is plaguing him about going ahead with his marriage to Perrine, while being the son of a murderer. The priest's virtue (and he eventually wins Francois over to confession and repentance, off stage) therefore solves Gabriel's problem as well as the one of a generation before. The Gothic aspect is in the tone, the violent storms which herald major events, and superstitions driving people's actions.
(6) The Yellow Mask. This is another story that is long enough to deserve the description of novella. It is set (mostly) in good society in France, and again told in a rather arch tone. A sculptor has three sitters: his daughter, who is attractive; Brigida, a mercenary millliner who is none too scrupulous; and Nannina, a young and good girl, beloved of the young aristocrat at whom they all set their caps. The sculptor has a priest for a brother, and the priest schemes to manage the marriage by arranging for his brother's daughter to marry the aristocrat and getting the young Nannina out of the way. His motive is to gain (or, in his mind, regain) money that he believes the aristocrat owes to the Church. However, his influence wanes when the sculptor's daughter dies young. At this point, the priest, who is also a sculptor on the side, creates an elaborate plot to play on the young man's superstitions and prevent his remarriage for love to Nannina. Hence the yellow mask, worn by Brigida, but created by the priest by taking a cast from the statue of the daughter. The climax of the plot, with the young man being chased from room to room in a big society masked ball by a woman he believes to be the ghost of his dead wife, is delightfully silly. I felt Collins extended the explanations and denouement of this one rather too long; perhaps he had a word count to meet!
Good fun, and I look forward to attacking more of the lesser-known Wilkie Collins in this collection.
Collins is a decent writer and he gets away with this hodge-podge quite convincingly. Here's a quick rundown of the embedded stories.
(1) A Terribly Strange Bed. A short but nice piece of gruesome urban Gothic, tapping into a fear that would have occurred far oftener to Collins' readers: being suffocated by a four-poster bed! (In a gambling den, of course!)
(2) A Stolen Letter. This is a forgettable story, told in a rather arch tone by a lawyer who clearly aspires to be a detective, about his adventures finding a blackmailing letter under a carpet, using an obscure clue about the carpet pattern.
(3) Sister Rose. This is a French Revolution novella - long and fairly gripping - centred around a brother and a sister who makes a bad marriage to a man who rises to some power within the first years of the Terror. The husband ends up denouncing (deliberately) the brother and (accidentally) the sister, but there is a character, not a conventionally attractive one, who gets them out of their situation and becomes a close friend. I was going to say there were definite influences of Tale of Two Cities here, both in the milieu and in the characterization, but I see that this novella predates Dickens' novel by several years. Given that the novella first appeared in a Dickens periodical, I don't think you could deny there was likely some cross-fertilization going on. For this story more than some of the others, by the way, the connection to the embedding narrative is tenuous in the extreme.
(4) The Lady of Glenwith Grange. A solitary woman in a large house - therefore odd by definition - proves to have a traumatic past, having lost her purpose in life, which was looking after her spoiled younger sister Rosamond. Rosamond married an impostor aristocrat, and then died giving birth to his brain-damaged daughter. She is, however, civil and sociable to her occasional visitors, and benevolent in her works, and therefore not quite in the league of solitary damaged women in big houses like Miss Havisham or Rochester's mad wife.
(5) The Nun's Story of Gabriel's Marriage. Set in France, this is again rather Gothic. Gabriel, the middle generation in a fishing family, finds out that his father Francois once attempted murder of a young visitor, and dumped his body in a local smuggling cache. What neither Gabriel nor Francois knows is that young man survived, became a notable priest, and returned to make his peace with Francois. He tells his story to first to Gabriel, whose conscience is plaguing him about going ahead with his marriage to Perrine, while being the son of a murderer. The priest's virtue (and he eventually wins Francois over to confession and repentance, off stage) therefore solves Gabriel's problem as well as the one of a generation before. The Gothic aspect is in the tone, the violent storms which herald major events, and superstitions driving people's actions.
(6) The Yellow Mask. This is another story that is long enough to deserve the description of novella. It is set (mostly) in good society in France, and again told in a rather arch tone. A sculptor has three sitters: his daughter, who is attractive; Brigida, a mercenary millliner who is none too scrupulous; and Nannina, a young and good girl, beloved of the young aristocrat at whom they all set their caps. The sculptor has a priest for a brother, and the priest schemes to manage the marriage by arranging for his brother's daughter to marry the aristocrat and getting the young Nannina out of the way. His motive is to gain (or, in his mind, regain) money that he believes the aristocrat owes to the Church. However, his influence wanes when the sculptor's daughter dies young. At this point, the priest, who is also a sculptor on the side, creates an elaborate plot to play on the young man's superstitions and prevent his remarriage for love to Nannina. Hence the yellow mask, worn by Brigida, but created by the priest by taking a cast from the statue of the daughter. The climax of the plot, with the young man being chased from room to room in a big society masked ball by a woman he believes to be the ghost of his dead wife, is delightfully silly. I felt Collins extended the explanations and denouement of this one rather too long; perhaps he had a word count to meet!
Good fun, and I look forward to attacking more of the lesser-known Wilkie Collins in this collection.
March 11, 2021
During the French Revolution, a nasty nobleman-turned-opportunistic republican denounces his brother-in-law and, inadvertently, his own wife. In a fishing village in Brittany, on a stormy night, a young fishermen is told by his dying grandfather a dreadful family secret. An Englishman in Paris makes a killing at a gambling hell, and is escorted to a room on the premises to sleep off the effcts of the jubilation - only to find the bed behaving in a very odd way indeed.
This first story, The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed, and the story which follows it, The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter are the only two stories in After Dark which are actually short stories; the others, divided into several chapters each, are all more novella than short story. All, too, have some connection to a crime or a criminal, whether it's a even just a perceived crime, which the 'criminal' blames himself for though it may not have happened.
I began reading this book with no idea of what it was all about. In fact, the title had made me think this was a book of horror stories, but no: not at all. The 'after dark' of the title has nothing to do with the content of the stories.
As to the stories themselves, they are good, but some (The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose, for instance) are pretty draggy, going on and on a bit too long. I suppose it's part of the old-fashioned charm of this period, but personally, I preferred the shorter, crisper style of the first two stories to the more languid, long-drawn out style of the rest.
This first story, The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed, and the story which follows it, The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter are the only two stories in After Dark which are actually short stories; the others, divided into several chapters each, are all more novella than short story. All, too, have some connection to a crime or a criminal, whether it's a even just a perceived crime, which the 'criminal' blames himself for though it may not have happened.
I began reading this book with no idea of what it was all about. In fact, the title had made me think this was a book of horror stories, but no: not at all. The 'after dark' of the title has nothing to do with the content of the stories.
As to the stories themselves, they are good, but some (The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose, for instance) are pretty draggy, going on and on a bit too long. I suppose it's part of the old-fashioned charm of this period, but personally, I preferred the shorter, crisper style of the first two stories to the more languid, long-drawn out style of the rest.
October 30, 2014
Free download available at Project Gutenberg
PREFACE TO "AFTER DARK."
I have taken some pains to string together the various stories contained in this Volume on a single thread of interest, which, so far as I know, has at least the merit of not having been used before.
The pages entitled "Leah's Diary" are, however, intended to fulfill another purpose besides that of serving as the frame-work for my collection of tales. In this part of the book, and subsequently in the Prologues to the stories, it has been my object to give the reader one more glimpse at that artist-life which circumstances have afforded me peculiar opportunities of studying, and which I have already tried to represent, under another aspect, in my fiction, "Hide-and-Seek." This time I wish to ask some sympathy for the joys and sorrows of a poor traveling portrait-painter—presented from his wife's point of view in "Leah's Diary," and supposed to be briefly and simply narrated by himself in the Prologues to the stories. I have purposely kept these two portions of the book within certain limits; only giving, in the one case, as much as the wife might naturally write in her diary at intervals of household leisure; and, in the other, as much as a modest and sensible man would be likely to say about himself and about the characters he met with in his wanderings. If I have been so fortunate as to make my idea intelligible by this brief and simple mode of treatment, and if I have, at the same time, achieved the necessary object of gathering several separate stories together as neatly-fitting parts of one complete whole, I shall have succeeded in a design which I have for some time past been very anxious creditably to fulfill.
Of the tales themselves, taken individually, I have only to say, by way of necessary explanation, that "The Lady of Glenwith Grange" is now offered to the reader for the first time; and that the other stories have appeared in the columns of Household Words. My best thanks are due to Mr. Charles Dickens for his kindness in allowing me to set them in their present frame-work.
I must also gratefully acknowledge an obligation of another kind to the accomplished artist, Mr. W. S. Herrick, to whom I am indebted for the curious and interesting facts on which the tales of "The Terribly Strange Bed" and "The Yellow Mask" are founded.
Although the statement may appear somewhat superfluous to those who know me, it may not be out of place to add, in conclusion, that these stories are entirely of my own imagining, constructing, and writing. The fact that the events of some of my tales occur on foreign ground, and are acted out by foreign personages, appears to have suggested in some quarters the inference that the stories themselves might be of foreign origin. Let me, once for all, assure any readers who may honor me with their attention, that in this, and in all other cases, they may depend on the genuineness of my literary offspring. The little children of my brain may be weakly enough, and may be sadly in want of a helping hand to aid them in their first attempts at walking on the stage of this great world; but, at any rate, they are not borrowed children. The members of my own literary family are indeed increasing so fast as to render the very idea of borrowing quite out of the question, and to suggest serious apprehension that I may not have done adding to the large book-population, on my own sole responsibility, even yet.
PREFACE TO "AFTER DARK."
I have taken some pains to string together the various stories contained in this Volume on a single thread of interest, which, so far as I know, has at least the merit of not having been used before.
The pages entitled "Leah's Diary" are, however, intended to fulfill another purpose besides that of serving as the frame-work for my collection of tales. In this part of the book, and subsequently in the Prologues to the stories, it has been my object to give the reader one more glimpse at that artist-life which circumstances have afforded me peculiar opportunities of studying, and which I have already tried to represent, under another aspect, in my fiction, "Hide-and-Seek." This time I wish to ask some sympathy for the joys and sorrows of a poor traveling portrait-painter—presented from his wife's point of view in "Leah's Diary," and supposed to be briefly and simply narrated by himself in the Prologues to the stories. I have purposely kept these two portions of the book within certain limits; only giving, in the one case, as much as the wife might naturally write in her diary at intervals of household leisure; and, in the other, as much as a modest and sensible man would be likely to say about himself and about the characters he met with in his wanderings. If I have been so fortunate as to make my idea intelligible by this brief and simple mode of treatment, and if I have, at the same time, achieved the necessary object of gathering several separate stories together as neatly-fitting parts of one complete whole, I shall have succeeded in a design which I have for some time past been very anxious creditably to fulfill.
Of the tales themselves, taken individually, I have only to say, by way of necessary explanation, that "The Lady of Glenwith Grange" is now offered to the reader for the first time; and that the other stories have appeared in the columns of Household Words. My best thanks are due to Mr. Charles Dickens for his kindness in allowing me to set them in their present frame-work.
I must also gratefully acknowledge an obligation of another kind to the accomplished artist, Mr. W. S. Herrick, to whom I am indebted for the curious and interesting facts on which the tales of "The Terribly Strange Bed" and "The Yellow Mask" are founded.
Although the statement may appear somewhat superfluous to those who know me, it may not be out of place to add, in conclusion, that these stories are entirely of my own imagining, constructing, and writing. The fact that the events of some of my tales occur on foreign ground, and are acted out by foreign personages, appears to have suggested in some quarters the inference that the stories themselves might be of foreign origin. Let me, once for all, assure any readers who may honor me with their attention, that in this, and in all other cases, they may depend on the genuineness of my literary offspring. The little children of my brain may be weakly enough, and may be sadly in want of a helping hand to aid them in their first attempts at walking on the stage of this great world; but, at any rate, they are not borrowed children. The members of my own literary family are indeed increasing so fast as to render the very idea of borrowing quite out of the question, and to suggest serious apprehension that I may not have done adding to the large book-population, on my own sole responsibility, even yet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2014
This is a collection of six short stories originally published between 1852 and 1856, ranging from around 30 pages to novella length of over 100 pages. The stories are mostly melodramas typical of 19th century fiction, but feature themes common to later Wilkie Collins fiction. The stories are nicely plotted for the most part, and well written. As is usual in Wilkie Collins stories, women feature as fairly strong characters – it is true that a female character in one of the stories seems to faint regularly on receipt of bad news, but the same is true of a male character in another story, so no discrimination there! The added device of having the stories told by a painter during his recovery from illness is very effective. I enjoyed these stories a lot.
September 6, 2019
Not as captivating as it could have been. I feel like he needs more time to develop his characters and the situation, so most of the stories feel a little rushed. I found the last one the most interesting, while the longest (about the French revolution) kept being very promising, but never really delivered.
That said, the way he describes characters and emotions is superb, it really clicks with me, and I can forgive the environments' depictions that I don't like that much.
That said, the way he describes characters and emotions is superb, it really clicks with me, and I can forgive the environments' depictions that I don't like that much.
January 7, 2015
I really enjoy books by this author. This was a group of short stories revolving around a portrait artist who must temporarily stop his work to rest his damaged eyes. The artist reflects on the various stories that were told to him while he paints his subjects. A rather short book- now on to something more modern.
August 27, 2013
Many people don't realize he was quite an innovator, being one of the first to write novels with changing perspectives. After Dark is a special book retelling several stories that were told to a disabled painter ... intriguing and delightfully written.
March 15, 2016
Great Collection of stories
The more I read Wilkie Collins the more I like him. His stories are engaging and these are wonderfully woven around the story of the "authors" as a sort of "play within a play" like many stores of this time.
The more I read Wilkie Collins the more I like him. His stories are engaging and these are wonderfully woven around the story of the "authors" as a sort of "play within a play" like many stores of this time.
October 18, 2025
Definitely an interesting compendium, but it certainly went a little downhill towards the end of the stories. Bit of a middle-of-the-road read for me.
June 28, 2012
I tend to love Wilkie Collins. And I did enjoy his short story collection, After Dark. But I didn't find all six of the short stories equally compelling. And while I *loved* some of the stories in this book, I didn't love them all. I found them all worthwhile, all entertaining.
There's a framework to After Dark. A portrait-painter, William, suffers damage to his eyesight, the doctor tells him he needs LOTS of time to recuperate if he hopes to be able to see again. He can no longer count on his painting to bring in the income and take care of his family, so, the family is forced to come up with plan B. Plan B just happens to be writing and publishing a book of stories. These are stories that have been told to the painter--usually while his subject is being painted--through the years. He will now recollect the best stories he's ever heard and relate them to his wife, Leah, who will write them down each night...after dark. (That is after her long day's work is through.)
The six stories are:
The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed (1852)
The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter (1854)
The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose (1855)
The Angler's Story of The Lady of Glenwith Grange (new for After Dark)
The Nun's Story of Gabriel's Marriage (1853)
The Professor's Story of the Yellow Mask (1855)
Five of the six short stories were reprints, only one story was brand new and written especially for this book.
In my opinion, the best, best, best short story in this collection is The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose. This story has DRAMA and action. It is set during the French Revolution. And in my opinion, this story is a MUST read. Not only if you're a fan of Victorian literature OR a fan of Wilkie Collins, but if you're a fan of historical fiction set during the French Revolution, you should really consider reading this novella. (In my opinion, it is closer to a novella than a proper short story. It has parts and chapters.) So Louis Trudaine made a deathbed promise to his mother to always be there for his sister, Rose, and protect her. Rose has fallen in love with a man Louis feels is unworthy of her, a Charles Danville. The marriage does happen, though not without some unpleasant exchanges on the eve of the wedding. But he never feels quite sure of his sister's husband, and so he chooses to remain nearby even if it means passing up a job opportunity. Years pass--we learn from the narrator--and the Revolution comes. And with it danger, drama, action, betrayal, and so much more. This story is so very, very, very good. It's quite intense and I loved every minute of it.
The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed is actually Wilkie Collins first published short story. It is quite creepy! It also happens to be set in Paris, by the way, anyway, the narrator is a young man named Faulkner. His good luck at a gambling house almost proves fatal. For a very, very friendly man convinces him that it is much too risky to leave the house at that time of night and wander the streets carrying his winnings. No, no, it would be much much safer to stay there for the night. But is that the truth? Well, his insomnia may just be a lifesaver!
The Nun's Story of Gabriel's Marriage is another story set in France during the French Revolution. While it isn't as good as The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose, in my opinion, it was interesting to get another story set in France--in Brittany--from Collins. The theme of this one is forgiveness and reconciliation. If you want a story with a couple of BIG twists, this one may prove satisfying.
The Angler's Story of The Lady of Glenwith Grange is another story with a BIG, BIG twist. Ida has promised to always, always, always take care of her younger sister, Rosamond. (Their mother died when Rosamond was a baby.) So when Rosamond marries, it's agreed that Ida will always live with them. The marriage, as you might expect, does not exactly exactly go as planned. And readers...along with Ida...learn why.
The Professor's Story of the Yellow Mask is set in Italy, I believe. It has a larger cast of characters than some of the other stories in the collection. And it has its own share of drama. It is a darker story balanced perhaps in a way by a love story with many, many obstacles. It also has lots of twists and turns and such. That being said, I wasn't thrilled with it.
The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter is a detective story. It was a nice enough story, I suppose, but I wasn't wowed by it. Still, it's enjoyable enough.
There's a framework to After Dark. A portrait-painter, William, suffers damage to his eyesight, the doctor tells him he needs LOTS of time to recuperate if he hopes to be able to see again. He can no longer count on his painting to bring in the income and take care of his family, so, the family is forced to come up with plan B. Plan B just happens to be writing and publishing a book of stories. These are stories that have been told to the painter--usually while his subject is being painted--through the years. He will now recollect the best stories he's ever heard and relate them to his wife, Leah, who will write them down each night...after dark. (That is after her long day's work is through.)
The six stories are:
The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed (1852)
The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter (1854)
The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose (1855)
The Angler's Story of The Lady of Glenwith Grange (new for After Dark)
The Nun's Story of Gabriel's Marriage (1853)
The Professor's Story of the Yellow Mask (1855)
Five of the six short stories were reprints, only one story was brand new and written especially for this book.
In my opinion, the best, best, best short story in this collection is The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose. This story has DRAMA and action. It is set during the French Revolution. And in my opinion, this story is a MUST read. Not only if you're a fan of Victorian literature OR a fan of Wilkie Collins, but if you're a fan of historical fiction set during the French Revolution, you should really consider reading this novella. (In my opinion, it is closer to a novella than a proper short story. It has parts and chapters.) So Louis Trudaine made a deathbed promise to his mother to always be there for his sister, Rose, and protect her. Rose has fallen in love with a man Louis feels is unworthy of her, a Charles Danville. The marriage does happen, though not without some unpleasant exchanges on the eve of the wedding. But he never feels quite sure of his sister's husband, and so he chooses to remain nearby even if it means passing up a job opportunity. Years pass--we learn from the narrator--and the Revolution comes. And with it danger, drama, action, betrayal, and so much more. This story is so very, very, very good. It's quite intense and I loved every minute of it.
The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed is actually Wilkie Collins first published short story. It is quite creepy! It also happens to be set in Paris, by the way, anyway, the narrator is a young man named Faulkner. His good luck at a gambling house almost proves fatal. For a very, very friendly man convinces him that it is much too risky to leave the house at that time of night and wander the streets carrying his winnings. No, no, it would be much much safer to stay there for the night. But is that the truth? Well, his insomnia may just be a lifesaver!
The Nun's Story of Gabriel's Marriage is another story set in France during the French Revolution. While it isn't as good as The French Governess's Story of Sister Rose, in my opinion, it was interesting to get another story set in France--in Brittany--from Collins. The theme of this one is forgiveness and reconciliation. If you want a story with a couple of BIG twists, this one may prove satisfying.
The Angler's Story of The Lady of Glenwith Grange is another story with a BIG, BIG twist. Ida has promised to always, always, always take care of her younger sister, Rosamond. (Their mother died when Rosamond was a baby.) So when Rosamond marries, it's agreed that Ida will always live with them. The marriage, as you might expect, does not exactly exactly go as planned. And readers...along with Ida...learn why.
The Professor's Story of the Yellow Mask is set in Italy, I believe. It has a larger cast of characters than some of the other stories in the collection. And it has its own share of drama. It is a darker story balanced perhaps in a way by a love story with many, many obstacles. It also has lots of twists and turns and such. That being said, I wasn't thrilled with it.
The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter is a detective story. It was a nice enough story, I suppose, but I wasn't wowed by it. Still, it's enjoyable enough.
August 21, 2013
A very unusual and interesting way of assembling a collection of various short stories. A painter who is struggling has a problem with his eyes and must stop painting for at least 6 months. Their meager savings dwindle and the painter's wife, a truly special woman, comes up with ways to cut their expenses by moving into the country. Her husband entertains the landlord and his family with various stories from subjects he painted which keep them enthralled. That gives the wife the idea for the husband to tell his stories to her so that she can assemble them in a book to sell. As each story is told, a preface is given where the painter explains how the story was told to him. The stories themselves are extremely interesting but when they're told within the framework of a book by this painter, they obtain a cohesiveness. Very enjoyable.
January 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! The main story itself, of a family trying to get through hard times, was very sweet. But the delicious core of the book is the collection of stories the father, an itinerant portrait painter, has heard from the mouths of his sitters as he painted their portraits. Delightful, unique, and engrossing stories, which he encouraged them to tell so he could bring out their natural personality on his canvas, rather than a stoic look they thought was appropriate. First published in 1889. I listened to this as a free download from LibriVox.Org.
February 15, 2011
An artist, a portrait painter chiefly, is told he must give his eyes an extended rest or he will lose his vision. In order to provide a living for the family, his wife persuades him to turn author and she will be his scribe as he relates the somewhat strange and interesting stories told to him by those who have sat for their portraits. Though this is not Wilkie Collin's best, the stories in it get better and better toward the end, with the last story being my favorite.
February 5, 2012
Tales retold to a portrait painter during his commissions and then retold by him to his wife makes this a compelling read. A provincial itinerant artist tells stories of intrigue in exotic locations, some of which have the air of an urban myth about them, being only once removed from the storyteller. Reminiscent of a thousand and one nights in the framework of the stories - the idea that the storyteller is compelled to tell the stories as, in his case, his living depends on it.
February 6, 2017
This book is actually a series of stories, supposedly being told by the husband [ a painter] of the protagonist, whose spouse turns author in order to provide for his family while his eyes are recovering from strain.
Each story is inspired by his conversations with the subjects of his paintings as they sat for him, or others as they explained the tales around the intriguing subject matter of his paintings.
This makes each one unique, but not equally enthralling.
Each story is inspired by his conversations with the subjects of his paintings as they sat for him, or others as they explained the tales around the intriguing subject matter of his paintings.
This makes each one unique, but not equally enthralling.
March 24, 2014
I really got a kick out of reading these short stories. They were well written, well paced and while peppered with Dickens-esque characteractures, they didn't dominate the story. The stories were varied in content and tone, and played with some great themes. I think the Sister Rose tale is my favourite.
October 9, 2014
A fabulous collection of short stories with a difference, the protagonist is an artist and his wife. The artist is unable to paint due to an illness and so his wife comes up with the idea of writing down a collection of the stories related to the artist by his models. The stories are very varied - mystery, suspense and romance. This was classic Wilkie Collins and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
November 13, 2011
A set of classic mysteries from the renowned master of the genre. Now in the public domain, with a free electronic copy available here.
May 15, 2012
Mini-break without sleep, gothic style: 1. Book room with four-poster in atmospheric country-house hotel 2. Take this book with you. 3. Over-eat: seafood is good. 4. Read "A terribly strange bed". 5. Stay awake all night. 6. Boast about it.
March 30, 2020
Wilkie Collins is my all time favorite writer. I am never disappointed in his novels. Within this novel are two novellas, Sister Rose and The Yellow Mask, both excellent. Also a series of short stories which stand on in their own.
October 23, 2019
Interesting gothic novel of “short” stories. The first couple were indeed short and interesting, but then they got much longer and much more convoluted after that. Last few stories were a bit of a slog to get through.
December 23, 2010
I love Wilkie Collins. In this, as in others, he has stories being told within stories. Great insight into human nature; none of his characters are ever flat.
October 5, 2011
Started slow but picked up
February 11, 2013
Enjoyable albeit a bit predictable
January 17, 2014
I like the short stories that let me put the book down.
August 17, 2016
Such a good book! A story within in a story and several very nice tales... not all spooky, but well-written.
March 31, 2018
Well written novelettes similar to Charles Dickens style. Collins was a contemporary and friend of Dickens.
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September 19, 2018Vintage
Short stories from a master story teller, would recommend this book of you like vintage historical novels with a twist
Short stories from a master story teller, would recommend this book of you like vintage historical novels with a twist
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