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John Boyne is brilliant (164-5, 216). “Even spaghetti is straight until it goes into hot water.” That’s a gay pickup line to straight men I hadn’t heard before(!)

This is so well-observed (118-9, 143).

This book is extremely well-observed (98, 101, 107). I’m loving it already.

This is already laugh-out-loud.

I’ll be so happy when this is over.

I’m not a fan.

Not a fan.

The arrival of Varvara Petrovna’s and Stepan Trofimovitch’s sons are causing hidden turmoil…

A bunch of Russian literary intellectual folk hang out in the evenings talking a whole lot of nothing. One wealthy Russian widow in the clan - Varvara Petrovna - her son turns out to be a bit of a wrong-un.

The plot twists come thick and fast! This is a reread, and I had forgotten half of them.

Wilkie Collins was one of the best of his day.

I adored Laura Fairlie the first time reading this. I still think she’s brilliant…but she could stand up for herself a bit more. Thank god she’s got Marian and Walter in her life!

I still remember reading this for the first time, and getting enraged at Mr Merriman’s legal bargaining. This story is so good!

It feels like a crime to stop reading this and go about life - Wilkie Collins is so brilliant.

Not a huge fan.

Annie Strong and Martha provide foreshadowing for what happens to Emily. Beneath the surface-level frivolity, societal mistreatment of 'fallen women' provides a dark undercurrent.

There is something irresistible about Dickens’s writing and his cast of characters - even though it’s way too long and a bit annoying.

I quite like this book (this is a reread). There is some brilliant writing. But I don’t think it will ever be a top favourite. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong!