The Moonstone (Modern Library Classics)

Book Description

"The Moonstone is a page-turner," writes Carolyn Heilbrun. "It catches one up and unfolds its amazing story through the recountings of its several narrators, all of them enticing and singular." Wilkie Collins’s spellbinding tale of romance, theft, and murder inspired a hugely popular genre–the detective mystery. Hinging on the theft of an enormous diamond originally stolen from an Indian shrine, this riveting novel features the innovative Sergeant Cuff, the hilarious house steward Gabriel Betteridge, a lovesick housemaid, and a mysterious band of Indian jugglers.

This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the definitive 1871 edition.

Download Description

The Moonstone, a priceless yellow diamond, is looted from an Indian temple and maliciously bequeathed to Rachel Verinder. On her eighteenth birthday her friend and suitor, Franklin Blake, brings the gift to her. That very night, it is stolen again. No one is above suspicion as the idiosyncratic Sergeant Cuff and Franklin piece together a puzzling series of events as mystifying as an opium dream and as deceptive as the nearby Shivering Sand.

Customer Reviews:

Officially the first English Detective story.......2007-10-18

This is an important work to read because it is known as the first real Engligh detective story. As the first detective story it sets many of the standards for the modern-day detective story genre. Another reason why this book is interesting is because of the various eye-witness testimonies that make up the book. And I must mention here the first half of the book is written by Gabriel Betteridge, the butler for the family involved in this tale. This part of the book is excruciatingly funny. Betteridge's servant's viewpoint is pure genius. The book was published in 1868, and Wilkie Collins was actually quite advanced in his thinking for a writer of this era. The book is about the disappearance of a priceless diamond that had been brought to England from India as a spoil of war. The diamond has a curse on it, and it proves to be the undoing of various people throughout the book. The book is long, but the various viewpoints presented help to shorten the story.

Marvellous.......2007-08-27

I first read The Moonstone about four years ago, and recently picked it up for a second time after reading The Thirteenth Tale, a modern book that was inspired by another WIlkie Collins novel, The Woman in White. Said to be the first "cozy" British mystery, The Moonstone features lost jewels from exotic places, a suicide, and the ever-present bumbling country detective.

A cast of characters converge on Lady Verinder's country estate to celebrate the 18th birthday of her daughter Rachel. Franklin Blake, her cousin, comes from London to deliver the Moonstone, a jewel bequeathed to her by a relative who fought in India and claimed the stone during a raid fifty years before. During the night after the party, the stone goes missing, and suddenly everybody behaves suspiciously, especially Rachel, who Sergeant Cuff suspects of stealing the Moonstone, and a servant girl named Rosanna Spearman. Added on top of the mystery is the presence of three strange Indians. What's their role in the case? And who really took the Moonstone?

The ending surprised me twice, not least because of the way in which the mystery was revealed. Told from the perspective of Franklin Blake, loyal servant Betterige, a spinster relative, a lawyer, and others, this book is the ultimate in detective fiction. Although hard to plod through at times, I loved this book.

Worthy Holmes Competitor.......2007-02-26

Almost everyone has heard of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, whereas his predecessor Wilkie Collins has been relegated to footnote status. However writers in the "golden age" of detective mysteries, especially Dorothy Sayers, were very aware of Collins and his influence.

The Moonstone uses a clever device whereby the narrative is passed from hand to hand to tell the story of the massive yellow diamond called the Moonstone. Ill-gotten spoils from colonial India, the Moonstone vanished for a generation until it was bequeathed as an 18th-birthday gift to Rachel Verinder. The engaging characters who tell the story of the mysterious disappearance of the Moonstone on Miss Verinder's birthday, each with his or her unique background and perspective, kept me following the story until the end. Collins also depicts the setting in rural England of Rachel Verinder's home town very effectively and without romanticizing. Unexpectedly, the famous detective plays a minor and reluctant role. In the end, I found the actual method of commiting the crime to be a bit unbelievable, but because I enjoyed the storytelling so much this was a minor quibble.

A Bestseller That Stands The Test Of Time.......2007-02-26

Would it interest readers to know that at the time that William Wilkie Collins was writing THE MOONSTONE in 1858, he was cheating on Mrs. Caroline Graves, his lover? That same year he left her, and had the first of his three children with Martha Rudd, a woman he never married. Two years later, he carried on a relationship with both women! No wonder he drew the unlikable Miss Clack, the Christian evangelist, so severely. Miss Clack wouldn't have at all approved.

And why did Collins write the character of the opium-addicted physician's assistant, Ezra Jennings, so sympathetically? Perhaps because Collins was experimenting with opium at the time of its writing, but hadn't yet become the delusional addict he would become later in life. Sinning always seems fun...for a season.

You and I both know that TS Eliot, who loved THE MOONSTONE, wouldn't approve of my type of critique. He decried critics who look outside of the text. But so what?

Tabloid-style criticism will in no way detract from the excellence of this book, even if Collins was the typical intellectual who didn't think he had to play by the rules. Collins knows how to tell a story, and to keep the reader interested. And he mastered the first person narration by strictly telling us, in several distinct voices, only what each character sees and knows, which makes for some great red herrings.

Did I also mention that Collins was a best selling author and that THE MOONSTONE was the last of his successes? Who says bestsellers can't stand the test of time?

19th Century Literature Masterpiece.......2007-01-15

You need to understand something before venturing into The Moonstone. It was written in the latter half of the nineteenth century. There was no television, no radio, no electric light, no Internet, no telephone. The most common forms of personal entertainment took place in the home, and the personal library, for those who could afford one, were common. The writing form of the time was designed to address this lifestyle. It was leisurely and pleasant.

One might curl up in a blanket before a blazing hearth with a candlabra sporting a dozen candles for light and a novel. Dickens, Scott, Thackeray, Dumas? All delivered a pictorial style of writing where the reader filled in the images. To this list of familiar authors, then, add the name of Wilkie Collins a friend and sometime travelling companion of Dickens. Credited by some as the creator of the English language mystery novel, and police detective character in The Moonstone, Collins has a writing style that almost needs to be learned by the 21st century reader.

The opening section of over 200 pages appears to be ponderous and wandering as the butler, Gabriel Bettridge sets the scene for the story. In doing so, however, Collins also establishes the first person narrative style that makes the novel work exceptionally well. Other reviewers here have filled in aspects of the story as a whole and I will refrain from repeating what they have said. The end note of the edition I own states that Collins is said to have written much of the book under the influence of opium, and perhaps that is why he was able to keep each character so true to life and with such a clearly defined and distinct "voice". Regardless, he succeeds in presenting a thoroughly entertaining tale, which must, ultimately, be read as though one were living in the late nineteenth century, devoid of twenty-first century "conveniences".

Then one can comprehend why it is a masterpiece.

India The Moonstone Fairy (Jewel Fairies)

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JEWEL FAIRIES SERIES

India The Moonstone Fairy (Jewel Fairies)
Daisy Meadows
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0439935288

Book Description

Jack Frost is up to no good again! This time, he's stolen the seven jewels from Queen Titania's crown. Without them, the Jewel Fairies can't do their jobs. The magic in Fairyland is fading fast!

India the Moonstone Fairy is in charge of dream magic. Can Rachel and Kirsty help find the moonstone . . . before everything turns into a nightmare?

Find the sparkly jewel in each book and help bring the magic back to Fairyland!

Customer Reviews:

JEWEL FAIRIES SERIES.......2007-08-13

The first book in the series of Jewel Fairies (Ruby) I bought was for my granddaughter Eden, she really enjoyed the book and wanted the other books in the series. Since receiving the books, she enthusiasticly has read all that I ordered for her. Hope the author continues to write more books for this series for I will continue to purchase them for my excited granddaughter.

Anytime that we can get a child to read, it opens the door of possibilites for them.

Fairy Realm #8: The Water Sprites (Fairy Realm)

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Fairy Realm: The Water Sprites
Jessie would do anything to save Baby Jewel.
fun Fairy Realm mystery

Fairy Realm #8: The Water Sprites (Fairy Realm)
Emily Rodda
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060777613
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Book Description

The Water Sprites are angry. Their Moon Stone has been stolen! They won't return any thing that floats down to their Finding Pool until the stone is returned. Will Jessie be able to help the Water Sprites before they take something precious?

Customer Reviews:

Fairy Realm: The Water Sprites.......2006-03-03

I got this book out from the library because of it's beautiful color, but its lack of creativity & simplicity totally threw me off. The story is about a girl named Jessie who is invited to a special party in the "Fairy Realm" when on the way she meets a few water sprites. So on, but half way through the book I was bored, confused, and frusterated. I recomend this book for someone who has a good amount of patience.

Jessie would do anything to save Baby Jewel........2006-01-29

While reading Jessie's 8th. Fairy Realm adventure, I began liking it right away-esspecially when Jessie discovers another new part of the realm she's never seen before...a trail of flowers that lead to Lirrale, Patricia's old home.

Jessie and friends celebrate the birthday party in honor of their new friend, Baby Jewel. After the poor baby girl has been stolen, the Water Sprites promise to return Jewel back to her parents if Jessie promises to return their moon stone, first. Of course, I think that Jessie promised to do that for Jewel's sake.

I think my most favorite part about this book was when Jessie becomes friends with Jewel.

fun Fairy Realm mystery .......2005-10-15

The leaf she found on her dresser was actually an invitation to a party in Liralee village by her friend Patrice the palace housekeeper. Also invited are their pals Giff the Elf and Maybelle the miniature horse. Meanwhile someone is stealing items from people with everyone suspecting one of the neighbors is the thief. Jessie soon realizes that the Water Sprites are outraged because someone stole their precious Moon Stoon. Anything that floats to the Finding Pool the sprites find and now claim as theirs rather than returning it. Before troubles escalate Jessie believes she must find the purloined Moon Stone by using human, elf, and horse common sense.

The eighth Fairy realm tale is a fun mystery that targets elementary school children. The story line is fun as Jessie and her buddies only want to go to a party, but also must solve the case of the stolen items especially as the ire of the Water Sprites grows. Emily Rodda provides a fine tale starring a likable young heroine accompanied by a mythological who's who and enhanced by the terrific pictures by illustrator Raoul Vitale.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

The first detective novel
Delightful reading!
Amazing!
An Oldie but a Goldie!
Diffrent

The Moonstone (Dover Thrift Editions)
Wilkie Collins
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486424510

Book Description

Stolen from the forehead of a Hindu idol, the dazzling gem known as "The Moonstone" resurfaces at a birthday party in an English country home — with an enigmatic trio of watchful Brahmins hot on its trail. Laced with superstitions, suspicion, humor, and romance, this 1868 mystery draws readers into a compelling tale with numerous twists and turns.

Customer Reviews:

The first detective novel.......2007-01-12

THE MOONSTONE opens with the theft of a fabulous jewel from an idol in India. From this exotic location the action then goes forward in time many years to the English countryside. The jewel, the Moonstone, has become a family heirloom soon to be presented to a young woman as a birthday present. That very evening the Moonstone disappeared leaving behind suspicion and tragedy. A professional detective is called in but before all is revealed there will be deaths and long hidden secrets brought to light.

The story was originally published in the mid 1800's which can cause a problem for a modern reader. The style of writing is much more verbose than contemporary readers are accustomed to, the vocabulary is often unfamiliar but perhaps most difficult for the modern reader are the conventions of mid Victorian society. The class distinctions and the restrictions placed on women, particularly young, unmarried women are completely foreign to the 21st century.

Despite these challenges THE MOONSTONE is an excellent story on its own merits. The characters are interesting and believeable. The plot is well thought out, full of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. For fans of detective fiction it is interesting to see the various elements of this story and recognize them from their more modern forms.

THE MOONSTONE has been called the first detective novel. It introduced many of the characteristics familiar to fans of this genre, the outsider, professional detective, the bumbling, incompetant local police, the clueless sidekick, the red herring clues that lead the reader astray and the premise that all clues must be available for the reader to solve the crime. In that regard THE MOONSTONE has its own unique place in history no matter what the quality of the story itself might be.

Delightful reading!.......2006-08-29

The Moonstone is chock-full of everything a Victorian novel should have: vivid and colorful characters, intricate language, elaborate plots, and bizarre coincidences. The insight into Victorian ideas about race, class and gender alone gives it tremendous value and merit.

This book simply shouldn't be read with modern expectations. Just sit back and let the story take you back to a different time and place. This edition with the explanatory notes is also very nice for any outmoded terms that you may come across.

Amazing! .......2006-04-13

This is really a simple detective story that has been written in a likable manner. Three main protagonists tell the tale of the stolen diamond. Among the three the narrative of Miss Clack is quite enjoyable.
This book pokes fun at religious fanaticism, sycophancy and stratified social norms of Victorian England.
But what attracted me was the way Indian Characters are treated by the writer. Absence of condescension and racial bigotry marks the writer's sympathetic viewpoint of the Indian Characters and even rationalizes their murder of the perpetrator. One is then surprised to note that this novel is way ahead of it's time, as Indians characters are still either patronized or vilified albeit couched in innuendoes.
Though not exactly in the league of the great classics it is undeniably exquisite piece of work! The writer was a great friend of Dickens - who I believe mistreated him and as a result Collins was often depressed. That could well mean that Dickens was jealous of Collins and rightly so. Except for Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, I find Dickens' writing boring and unnecessarily convoluted. For instance, one does have a hard time reading Hard Times, especially considering that Emile Zola had taken the same subject in Germinal and made it interesting and a delight to read.

An Oldie but a Goldie!.......2005-08-23

This is the original murder mystery novel. It predates other mystery/crime giants such as Agatha Chrisite and Dorothy Sayers. I can understand that for someone used to today's style of writing, this book may seem a bit old fashioned, but it pays to remember that it was written in the late 1800s and is one of the reasons why this genre of novels is so popular today. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to all murder mystery fans.

Diffrent.......2004-06-01

MoonStone absolutley has you on edge. It's unlike most books, instead of having a slow begining where they introduce all the cahracters, it goes straight to the plot. It's a tornado of emotion, but one that's easy to follow. The book enables you to feel the danger of death (over a misfit yellow diamond) around every corner. The plot never dies, it's impossible to put the book down once you start. It easily wins over your mind. You'll probably end up reading the same page twice just to get that complete feeling. It takes you back to the times of Victorian Ladies and Gentlemens. The book takes you away from your current life, and lets you enter into a totally new one. 5 stars easily earned

Average customer rating:

Go ahead and yawn, you won't miss anything.

Moonstone
Wilkie Collins
Manufacturer: Barnes Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 1566190924

Customer Reviews:

Go ahead and yawn, you won't miss anything........2007-05-29

I understood that The Moonstone is a classic so I decided to read this to be culturally literate. Well the story line may be interesting but the writing is atrocious. It is curricular, bloated, and seemingly pointless. The characters just keep rattling. A lot of writers fill in the story with descriptions of time and place to give an atmosphere to the story. This writer (Wilkie Collins) just fills it with unrelated trivia. Every once in a while I would go back a few pages to see what I must have missed. When I read again there was nothing there to miss. Ether Wilkie is extremely monotonous or other writing from this period is and I am just now lucky enough to find out. I talked to others about this and they said; "Now you know why Sherlock Holmes is so popular"

Nancy Drew 40: The Moonstone Castle Mystery (Nancy Drew)

Average customer rating:

Confusing but exciting
the moonstone castle mystery... sounds interesting?
What A Dull Book
This book was ok
My favorite Nancy Drew book!

Nancy Drew 40: The Moonstone Castle Mystery (Nancy Drew)
Carolyn Keene
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0448095408

Customer Reviews:

Confusing but exciting.......2007-03-27

This book belonged to my mother,she told me that she read this book when she was my age, 8. I was interested, so I read it. My dad and I read most of it together but some times I read it independently I Im sure I liked it as much as my mom did, and I'm sure you will too.

the moonstone castle mystery... sounds interesting?.......2005-05-10

I thougt the book was just ok. I found it a little confusing with all of the characters and all the conflicts. I am doing a book report on this book for school and I would have thought It would have been a better and more interesting book. I dont know I would give it 3 stars.

What A Dull Book.......2003-07-26

Nancy receives a moonstone as a gift from an anonymous person. Mr. Drew enlists Nancy to help him with his latest case. The Bowens, a missionary couple, have recently returned from Africa and have been looking for their granddaughter without success. The girl went to live with her other grandmother in the town of Deep River after the deaths of her parents when she was a baby. However, the grandmother died shortly after that and all trace of the girl has been lost. When the girls arrive in Deep River they see Moonstone Castle in the distance and decide to explore it. This was a very boring book with a dull mystery and almost zero action. The summary in the book suggests that the castle is haunted, but that is never really mentioned in the book itself. Nancy doesn't do any brilliant detective work to find the missing girl, instead she basically stumbles upon her. I'd only recommend getting this book to complete your set.

This book was ok.......2002-07-06

I have read 15 Nancy Drew books so far and my favorite was: The Clue In The Broken Locket. I'd just thought I'd say that! I was really excited to read this one because of a castle and stuff and in the summary it said it was a little bit spooky. Well it was really boring and there was too much happening at the same time. The castle parts were really boring and so0o0 not exciting. And all they did was eat at that stinkin brass kettle.
But some parts were good?

My favorite Nancy Drew book!.......1999-11-05

I love all Nancy Drew books but this was my favorite! It was so interesting I couldn't put it down! I read it when I was little and I could read it over and over!

Average customer rating:

Ne'er a bore
Magnificent
Go ahead and yawn, you won't miss anything.

The Moonstone
Wilkie Collins
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451528298

Book Description

"The first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels" (T.S. Eliot), The Moonstone is a fascinating excursion into the sinister shadows that lie just beyond the ordered landscape of Victorian-era English society.

Customer Reviews:

Ne'er a bore.......2007-07-10

After a military fracas breaks out in colonial India, a mysterious (and supposedly cursed) Hindu diamond--the largest in the world--finds its way back to London. After the death of its owner, the Moonstone is only reluctantly passed on to the niece of the deceased: one Rachel Verinder. Less than a day after she receives the gem, it suddenly goes missing.

Collins' use of prose is marvelous, and his style of incorporating suspense at every turn influenced the writings of his dear friend, Charles Dickens. The story was originally serialized, partly during a period of intense physical and emotional pain for the author. There are glimmers of this, in the narratives of both Miss Clack and Ezra Jennings, two of the more entertaining and riveting (respectively) segments of the novel.

The story is only barred from a full five stars due to the mild loss of empathy/sympathy for two of the characters by mid-story, and the lack of pungency in the narratives of Franklin Blake, a critical section. That said, the story keeps you engaged from the very beginning, and it will be difficult to put the book down until you find out that thief was in fact...my apologies; let me excuse myself, before I go too far.

Magnificent.......2005-12-16

"The Moonstone" is a masterpiece. Originally published serially in Charles Dickens' monthly journal "All the Year Round," it is widely regarded as the first of its genre: the detective story. While a contemporary of Dickens, Collins' writing style is more accessible, in my opinion, to the general reader. In fact, its initial publication in "All the Year Round" outsold Dickens' own "Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations."

Collins' characters are unforgettable, especially the tragic Ezra Jennings, the silly, hypocritical Miss Clack, and the sad Rosanna Spearman.

Throughout the book, the hint of things occultish makes this very unlike most other novels of the period and hightens the feeling of danger and mystery.

This book is entirely delightful. Don't miss an oppotunity to discover "The Moonstone."

Go ahead and yawn, you won't miss anything........2003-02-07

Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone, the Haunted Hotel, My Lady's Money (Great Classic Library)

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Please read my letter about 30 volume Wilkie Collins books

Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone, the Haunted Hotel, My Lady's Money (Great Classic Library)
Wilkie Collins
Manufacturer: Longmeadow Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Woman in White (Penguin Classics)

ASIN: 068100780X

Customer Reviews:

Please read my letter about 30 volume Wilkie Collins books.......1999-08-31

We are an auction company in Southwestern Nebraska and have just written up an auction that has a 30 volume of Wilkie Collins Classics - all in excellent -like new condition. What is the value and is there anyone interested in purchasing?

Annette Mysteries, The - Box Set of 4 (Walt Disney Presents) includes The Desert Inn Mystery, The Mystery at Moonstone Bay, The Mystery at Smugglers' Cove, and Sierra Summer

Average customer rating:

Great Books!
Gee, she's swell!

Annette Mysteries, The - Box Set of 4 (Walt Disney Presents) includes The Desert Inn Mystery, The Mystery at Moonstone Bay, The Mystery at Smugglers' Cove, and Sierra Summer
Doris Schroeder
Manufacturer: Disney Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786834617

Book Description

Move over, Nancy Drew, there's a new sleuth in town. It's everyone's favorite Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello! Sure, she can sing, she can act, she can dance-but can she solve Annette and the Desert Inn Mystery, Annette and the Mystery at Smugglers' Cove, Annette and the Mystery at Moonstone Bay, and Annette and the Mystery at Medicine Wheel? Find out in this neat-o slipcased collection of four novels of spine-tingling suspense! Originally published in the 1960s, these retro mysteries are once again available for your reading pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

Great Books!.......2005-06-17

These books are great! The only one I've read so far is Moonstone Bay and it's great so far! Annette is really smart!
Annette is tops Nancy Drew. Wherever Nancy goes people are always amazed and she's this great, famous, world-renowned detective. Annette isn't, and that's what makes her better. She's just an ordinary girl who solves mysteries.
Another great thing is that in Moonstone Bay they include horses in it!
Annette books are great and I love them! I think that every girl who loves mysteries should read them!

Gee, she's swell!.......2005-05-06

Four Annette Funicello mysteries("Mystery at Smugglers' Cove", "Sierra Summer", "Mystery at Moonstone Bay" and "The Desert Inn Mystery"), casting the Mouseketeer as a teenage super-snooper. The stories are sub-Nancy Drew-lite, not quite a hearty recommendation but perfect for a nostalgia-crazed baby boomer. The covers(nicely reproduced from the 1960 hardcover originals)may be instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up in this wholesome era, and Annette after all was the quintessential girl-next-door(with the exotic last name and dark looks that set her apart from all the other Mouseketeers). One may end up pondering why there were no Darlene Gillespie mysteries, or Karen & Cubby meet The Wolf Man. I think Annette's innate shyness and likability made her seem approachable to youngsters of the late-'50's, and her all-around sweetness shone through her Mickey Mouse Club routines. She was everyone's kid sister or budding love interest. I'm not sure she was quite the new Nancy Drew, and therefore these books now seem quaint or passe, but it may represent a lost piece of childhood to many, many people.

The Moonstone (Time Passages Romance Series)

Average customer rating:

Read the last Highlander by Claire Cross
Don't waste your time and money!
Boring dialogue...
Entertaining time travel romance

The Moonstone (Time Passages Romance Series)
Claire Cross
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0515126543

Amazon.com

Setting: England, 1390, and contemporary British Columbia
Sensuality: 7

In 1390 England, Viviane is imprisoned for practicing witchcraft. Confident that the archbishop will believe her denial, she is stunned when she's led to the executioner without a hearing. Deeply disturbed by the young woman's fate, Sir Niall of Mallory grants Viviane's wish to hold her father's moonstone one last time. To his shock, the beautiful young woman disappears in a flash of bright light, leaving nothing but the moonstone behind.

Viviane finds herself on an island in British Columbia in 1999--but she believes that she's been transported to the legendary Avalon. Meanwhile, back in 1390, Niall swears to do his duty and recover Viviane. While retracing her actions, he triggers the moonstone and follows her across time. Unfortunately for Niall, Viviane happens to be onboard a boat and he lands in the water, his chain mail weighting him like an anchor. Rescued in the nick of time, Niall soon finds himself falling in love with Viviane, who believes that he's her knight in shining armor. The two lovers have a difficult path to happiness, however, for the evil archbishop has plans for them back in 1390 and they'll have to foil a dastardly plot and travel across time more than once in their struggle to live happily ever after. --Lois Faye Dyer

Customer Reviews:

Read the last Highlander by Claire Cross.......2001-09-11

This book starts out okay but its both characters are from the past which doesn't work.

Don't waste your time and money!.......2000-12-09

As a fan of time-travel books I'm wondering why I'm even giving this one star. There was no substance to the story just lots of fluf. I'm sorry, but there is no way someone arrives in the 20th Century from the 14th Century and takes everything in stride as the two main characters did in this story. How does Viviene get a paycheck without a SS#? AND she and Niall can read modern-day English with no trouble? It wasn't very realistic. Also, I don't like stories that make sure EVERYONE in the story has found a love in the last 5 pages!

Boring dialogue..........2000-02-16

This story contained some of the most boring and dumbest narration. It bored me and I skipped from the begining to the end and got the full sense of the story. Her other books were better.

Entertaining time travel romance.......1999-07-11

In 1390 Britain, Sir Niall of Malloy loathes escorting prisoners to their death, but loathes it even more when a female requires his convoy, which is his present task. He accompanies Viviane to certain death for witchery. Viviane asks him to take her to see the Archbishop of Cantlecroft, but he cannot being a lowly dungeon guard. Finally, realizing her plight, Viviane wishes upon her father's stone to be as far away from where she is as possible. In a flash, she vanishes leaving behind the moonstone.

The Archbishop charges Niall to complete his duty. Before leaving, Niall says good-bye to his sister and her children. Meanwhile Viviane lands in 1999 where a local resident Monty Sullivan adopts her. Niall uses the moonstone and follows her into the late twentieth century. Viviane decides that Niall his her hero and savior. Soon Niall and Viviane fall in love, but he swore allegiance to a fourteenth century archbishop. Niall knows if he takes his beloved Viviane back home, she dies. If he fails to return with her, the honor he lived for would crumble and slowly kill him instead.

MOONSTONE is a fabulous time travel romance that will leave no doubt as to the standing of Claire Cross among sub-genre fans. Using magic to propel the fast-paced story line forward (and back), sub-genre fans and fantasy readers will gain much pleasure from the superb novel. Readers will embrace the intelligent characters. Their reactions to time displacement feel genuine as the Medieval travelers struggle with modern times and a twentieth century individual seems overwhelmed with the fourteenth century. The response of the cast turn MOONSTONE into a necessary read for anyone who enjoys an entertaining story.

Harriet Klausner

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