Customer Reviews
READ IT! - By: Cassandra, 17 Jun 2008 
Don't argue, don't read any other reviews, just read it.
The depths that Collins' character Gwilt will go to just to further herself in life are chilling to say the least but the thing that clinched it for me & made the book more real is that she loved her husband (not giving the game away here!) You do keep the characters with you & relate to the dream in your own life.
Collins showed an incredible insight into women's thinking when he wrote the correspondence between Gwilt & the old woman.
stop reading this review, buy the book & lose yourself in it. Its worth it!
Yet another Collins "must-read" classic. - By: Nicola Jarvis, 05 Sep 2007 
No, this is not as good as 'The Woman In White' or 'The Moonstone'. The pace & the style of writing is reallly quite different (Collins was immensely ill whilst writing this book). There is something lacking in this novel that the other three big novels of Collins had plenty of.
Armadale is not as mysterious as the other novels. The only real secret kept from the reader until the end is the truth of Lydia Gwilt's past. This secret of her past is not something that I craved or cared that much about, alll I cared about is what she was going to do next which she always clearly spells out what she is going to do, pages or chapters before she does it.
All this said, it is still a fantastic read. It took me a long time to get through because this novel seems to be split in two, & the first part is quite tedious. Midwinter is an admirable character, but Mr Armadale is extremely annoying, & Midwinter, in turn, for caring so much for him is quite annoying. As a reader I was reallly willing Miss Gwilt on, & agreed with her on every count of Allan Armadale's character. The pair that consists of Armadale & Midwinter somewhat mirrors the pair of Marian Halcombe & Laura Fairlie from 'The Woman In White' where one is incredibly strong & the other is weak, needing constant care & attention from the stronger of the pair. The first part of the novel focuses on their relationship & foreshadowing dreams. Even Midwinter's character becomes a bore when he obsesses over fate & destiny.
The second half the novel consists mainly of Lydia Gwilt's point of view whilst being introduced to new characters way of thinking, such as Mr Bashwood & Mrs Milroy. The novel picks up here & becomes a lot more interesting. There are a few instances when we think we know where the story is going, but then takes a different way completely. She gains our sympathy as she tries as hard as she can to be moral & honest, only to find her efforts useless & forced back into her old ways.
This is worth a read, & some think this book is better than the more popular TWIW & TM, but I don't think so. The pacing is uneven, & some things are just too overly detailed & obvious. I was oddly dissatisfied when I had finished reading it though the character of Lydia Gwilt is a genius one. I'd advise to give this book a go, & to hold out until Lydia arrives on to the scene.
On a more thematic note, there is a lot in this novel (as with his other novels) about identity, the role of women, technology, geography, money & alienation. And where would a classic Collins novel be without opium?!
Master of Mind Manipulation - By: No Day But Today, 01 Aug 2007 After reading alll four of Wilkie Collins' most famous novels, Lydia Gwilt is without a doubt the most intriguing character i have ever encountered. Collins has a certain, un-matched knack for manipulating the reader's perception of the characters he presents & furthermore he knows it! As in The Woman in White, where he knows exactly what the reader is thinking & uses this knowledge to his full advantage, creating mystery, suspense & excitement resulting in a thoroughly good read, proving himself to be a genius of his generation.
Stunning - By: Karen, 05 May 2006 I stayed up night after night until I had finished this book, & was exhausted physicallly & emotionallly afterwards! After a slow start (only a few pages, go with it), I couldn't get enough of it. It is by far the best book I have ever read. Lydia Gwilt & Mother Oldershaw are glorious examples of cunning & connivance, & I couln't help thinking that Allan Armadale deserved it to some extent, being at times annoyingly naive. I was left at a loss for days after finishing it, & what glorious character names Collins comes up with - where else would you find such a name Ozias Midwinter. If you like a touch of the gothic running through your Victoriana, then this is the book for you.
Don't do it, Lydia! - By: L. Peake, 17 May 2005 With Wilkie Collins, you dive into his stories & come up, gasping for air at the end, & never more so than with Armadale.
He shows great depth with the characters in Armadale which makes the ending of this lurid & dream-like novel disturbing, exciting & tragic in equal measure. The beautiful Lydia Gwilt is hugely appealing, even if she is one of the scariest of Wilkie Collin's women. I love Marion in The Woman in White but for sheer ruthlessness, Lydia takes the prize.
