Synopsis: Who is the mysterious woman in white who Walter Hartwright meets very late one night on the road to London? How is she connected to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, who he must help to save from the evil clutches of Sir Percival Glyde and the mysterious yet wicked Count Fosco? The mystery must be solved if Laura is to escape from the men who threaten to harm her.

Review Britain has produced many innovative and renowned classic authors and Wilkie Collins is no exception to this rule. Her novel The Woman in White is so popular that it has been made into a musical for London’s West-End, so Jan Needle is intelligent in his decision to abridge Collin’s book in a new version targeted at young adults.

 What a beautiful book this is! The illustrations provided by Anatoly Slepkov are truly enchanting, evoking the dark atmosphere that runs throughout the story, and depicting clearly the elaborate and bizarre characters that ensure that the novel is as powerful as possible. Following Laura Fairlie’s fate we are in despair at the horrific injustice being carried out towards her by her new husband- a man whom she doesn’t love, yet marries to fulfil her late father’s wishes. With the help of her half-sister the plain but loving Miss Halcombe, her drawing teacher (and the man she really loves) Walter Hartwright sets out to solve the mystery of the woman in white in order to find out why this mysterious woman is determined that Laura should not marry Sir Percival Glyde. Intrigue is plenty, and Collins doesn’t fail to capture the attention of the reader, ensuring that we are always questioning the true identity of the woman in white and what great secret she holds about Sir Percival Glyde that is threatening her life.

This is yet another excellent version of a classic reworked by Needle, who showed his skill with his translation and editing of Walker Books version of Victor Hugo’s, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is a perfect addition to the bookshelf of the school library. With its vivid images and accessible tale Needle and Slepkov have ensured that this wonderful story will stay fresh for years to come!

2008-01-08