Customer Reviews

Dark Clue

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Note: "The Dark Clue" by James Wilson has absolutely nothing to do with Wilkie Collins's "The Woman in White," eventhough Wilson has made Marian Halcombe and Walter Hartright, the two avenging righters of all wrongs, from Collins's novel, the chief protagonists in "The Dark Clue." Having said that, if you enjoyed Collins's novel for its gothicky atmosphere, the absolutely brilliant manner in which both the plot unfolded and the novel was executed, and for the investigative zeal with which both Marian and Walter carried out their quest, then "The Dark Clue" cannot fail to satisfy. For James Wilson has written a truly enthralling novel, that successfully evokes the feel of the rather prissy yet dark passions of the Victorian period.

Marian Halcombe has recognised a kind of malaise in her dear brother-in-law, Walter Hartright, for some time now. Realising that part of the problem is boredom, coupled with a sense of uselessness, Marian is at a loss as to how to help him, when fate puts the solution in her hands. Lady Eastlake, a friend of Marian's, is looking for someone credible and competent to write a biography of one of England's most talented of artists, J. M. W. Turner. Apparently, a gossiping hack journalist has decide to embark on exactly such a task, and Lady Eastlake fears that his take on Turner will be a tittle-tattle backbiting biography, that will tarnish Turner's good name. Lady Eastlake wants to commission a biography that will counter this hack's book. Walter is eager to embark on the project, however, he does make it clear to Lady Eastlake that he intends to tell the 'truth' about Turner, warts and all -- this will be no sugar coated biography! And so armed with the names of Turners remaining friends, and colleagues, Walter and Marian set out to do a little investigative foraying into Turner's life.

What they find perplexes them. There seems to be two views of Turner: some see Turner as a generous but deeply misunderstood genius, much abused, sensitive, and secretive; while others view him as stingy, cruel and proud. And then there are the hints that Turner led a darker and very secret second life, with suggestions of depraved behavior involving prostitutes. Can there be any truth to such rumours? While Marian uses the information that they have gleaned from the interviews and the insights that they have gained from viewing Turner's art to arrive at some kind of profile of the artist, Walter gets sucked into speculating about Turner's supposed depravities. Utterly obsessed, Walter takes to haunting the slums of London that Turner rose from, looking for clues as to whether or not the Great Man had a darker side. It isn't too long before this preoccupation consumes him and makes him utterly oblivious to everything and everyone, and leaves Marian wondering if the cure for Walter's malaise may prove to be far worse than the disease.

"The Dark Clue" is a truly engrossing read. James Wilson does a wonderful job of depicting the sentimental Victorian sensitivities of Marian and Walter, who for quite a while seem to be totally unable to cope with both Turner's earthier side and the power of his art. And I liked the manner in which he split Marian's and Walter's investigation into Turner's life, showing the two ways in which a look into someone's life could go -- having Marian use careful research and intuition to arrive at certain conclusions, juxtaposing it with Walter's fixation to prove that there was indeed something dark at the heart of Turner's genius, an obsession that spirals completely out of control. I also liked the manner in which he brought out more of Marian's feelings, fears and regrets, making her a much more rounded character.

"The Dark Clue" is well written and brilliantly executed novel, that does indeed evoke images of fog filled London streets, teeming with vice and conspiracies. James Wilson does a wonderful job of maintainning the suspense and tension in the novel; the plot unfolds seamlessly and effortlessly. The characters are all well depicted and portrayed, and (a bonus here) we get to appreciate all over again the intelligence, courage and loyalty of Marian Halcombe. This novel is a truly remarkable read.

I was drawn to this novel both by my great enjoyment of Collins's "The Woman in White" and its characters, as well as a long interest in the art of J.M.W. Turner. The novel is atmospheric, suspenseful, and fascinating. If I had stopped reading prior to reaching the resolution that Wilson creates for the mystery of Turner's life that turns into an obsession for Walter Hartright, I'd have been tempted to give this book 4 or even 5 stars. But the events of the final chapters left me feeling betrayed and literally turned my stomach.

Perhaps it is naive of me to think that, when an author employs characters created by another--particularly from an acknowledged classic--he owes them a certain degree of respect. I see little appeal in deliberately degrading them or making them depraved, regardless of how logically the case for this is built up.

For a more pleasant, lighthearted novel reviving classic characters, the reader might try Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair", instead.

I don't like gimmicks in general and I find them a bit of a fraud when used to mislead a potential reader about a book. Wilkie Collins is generally considered the inventor of the mystery novel and whether you agree with that or not, he was one of the exceptional writers of Victorian England. "The Moonstone", and, "The Woman In White", are just two examples of his work that remain in print in the 21st century. Author James Wilson borrows 2 characters from one of Mr. Collins's novels, and, by insinuation at the very least suggests there is more than that of Mr. Collins to be expected. Borrowing these characters was meaningless to the telling of this story, a bit of vacuous name dropping is all that it amounts to.

The tale is the writing of a biography, a book within a book. The subject is the 19th century painter J.M.W. Turner, and the author has used all 7 major biographies of the man to write his novel. I have read none of them, but I cannot imagine any of them being less enjoyable than this book, and I bet they even have pictures! My complaints in general are that the book is too long, the story presumes the reader to be obtuse, the ending is completely unsatisfying, and this book must be amongst the entries for the most obsessive use of commas. The first two sentences have 4 commas, 2 hyphens, and a parenthetical. The cadence of this book is an uncertain staccato.

I have read Mr. Wilson's other book which was non-fiction and extremely well written. I don't know if he has the ability to eventually write a great or even a good novel, but he will never get there by trying to imitate the work of another. He makes his attempt exponentially more difficult by trying to mimic the writing of an author who has endured for centuries, and he even borrows a character from the man he seeks to emulate.

As the main character in this book sinks in to depravity, the story becomes confused, unsure of what it wants to be, and who is in charge. Many authors say they create their characters and then let them lead. Allowing them to lead, and allowing them to run amok are very different.

I enjoy novels set in 19th century England and I have read Turners biography so I assumed I would find this an interesting story.While the author is a good writer and his descriptions of Turners paintings are at times breathtaking ,the book was very dark and slow moving.Eventually I lost interest in what the dark clue was and I was unable to make it to the end of the novel.Instead I took out my book of Turners paintings and spent an enjoyable afternoon admiring his work.

I read "The Dark Clue" after reading a glowing review of the book saying how true it was to the Wilkie Collins' novel it is based on. However, as well done as it is depicting that time period the ending betrays and abandons the Collins characters with its ending. I found "The Dark Clue" a bitter disappointment in its final chapters after enjoying so much all other parts of it.

J.Wilson borrows two (well, three if you count forlorn letters from Laura) characters from Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White for no apparent reason other than his book is ultimately about Turner and it seems a good idea to have a painter write a biography of another painter. He might have as well invented his own fictitious painter because the only thing he manages to say with the borrowed characters is this: See, genius is impossible to grasp, it avoids classification and black and white descriptions, it eludes a direct stare, and if someone of mediocre abilities tries to emulate a genius the results are catastrophic. Wilkie Collins was not exactly a genius, but emulating him still turns catastrophic for Wilson's novel. There are no grand revelations, no real conclusion to the story, no insights into human psyche, nothing one could walk away with saying: This is something I've never thought about before, this is something I've never seen like that before. There isn't even a satisfactory mystery story behind all the posturing. If you like Collins, re-read his novels, if you like Turner, read his biographies, if you like mysteries just read something else. It is only of interest for those hunting for a truly pointless experience. As an utter waste of time, this novel excels.

I thought the book was extremely well written. James Wilson did not made the error to give his people a modern outlook on life and social problems within a Victorian period. But I was disappointed by the ending. Somehow, I got the feeling that in the last 80 pages, Turner disappeared, no real ending displayed, the scene between Marianne and James (basically a rape) sounded contrite. It is a shame really but compared to most of the same fiction, this is outstanding achievement from a literay perspective. The man can write.

I have read that Wilkie Collins had this to say about writing: "Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait."
The Dark Clue:
a) is utterly devoid of humor (you won't laugh)
b) builds no sympathy in the reader (you won't cry)
c) at 390 pages (in my copy), it certainly makes you wait, but there is a total absence is suspense (your waiting will be tedious).
James Wilson has written a very accomplished novel, in that it recreates Victorian speech and settings quite proficiently. It obviously took him years of research and writing time. But where are the rounded, memorable characters, like Laura Fairlie's peevish uncle with his delicate "nerves" (from The Woman in White) or the terrifying Count Fosco with his white mice, or even the faithful house-steward Gabriel Betteredge (from Collins' The Moonstone) who consults his copy of Robinson Crusoe at every important turn in his life? Lastly and most importantly, what Wilson does with the brave, noble characters of Marian Halcombe and Walter Hartright is not only UNTRUE to their characters, but despicable. For a terrific Victorian novel, stick to Wilkie himself.

Quite enjoyed this book but it is a bit longer than it needs be. Good plot and characterisation.

This is a good book. You need to know that. Otherwise the relatively slow pace will deeply frustrate you and may cause you to quit reading. Don't quit. The payoff is rewarding. The answers and new questions that slowly surface are intriguing...the inner character struggles are haunting. Thank you Mr. Wilson for allowing loose ends...it's so much more enjoyable to be left with more questions than neatly wrapped overly predictable endings.