Woman in White

My book club read Woman in White  by Wilkie Collins.  This book was written about the same time as Minnesota became a state and it is supposed to be one of the 100 greatest novels of all time but I couldn't finish it.  I tried.  I really did.  I was ready to quit after the first two chapters.  So then I tried imagine hearing the words spoken by the cast of Downton Abby.  But even with Lady Mary Crawley and Mrs. Patmore talking, the book was still boring beyond tears.  So many words!  Why all the words?  A five word description of a room takes two full paragraphs.  I can read other stories of the nineteenth century.  Jane Austen, Charles Darwin and Dickens are easier than Wilkie Collins.  Life is short so I gave up on the book and read the wikipedia information instead.  I enjoyed the discussion though.  I learned the book was written in monthly installments for a magazine.  Each month required a certain number of words.  That explains the wordiness.  Depending on the audience reaction to each chapter, the author amended the plot.  That explains the meandering story line.  Other people in the group liked the book and the characters.  You might like this book but I didn't.