The Woman in White

By: Wilkie Collins

Narrated by: Glen McCready, Rachel Bavidge

Length: 27 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Walter Hartright, a drawing teacher to two sisters, wants to marry Laura, though she is betrothed to another. But who is the mysterious woman in white he encounters?

Wilkie Collins was a master of suspense, but his transfer to audiobook requires a cast of readers to faithfully reflect the11 different characters who tell the story. Naxos AudioBooks brings together a strong cast to bring alive the mystery and suspense of The Woman in White.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2008 Naxos Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Collins's mid-Victorian novel is one of the first, and possibly still the greatest, of all literary thrillers." ( The Irish Times)

Excellent story!

I first became acquainted with this book from watching the Masterpiece Theater version of the movie (which is altered but also excellent) and thoroughly enjoyed this reading (listen). If you enjoy a good English story, you'll love this! Highly recommend.

Exceptionally great book!

Though it was very long --- I could not wait to listen to the next writing!!

The inhabits of the story were well represented by the readers & added to my images of the various scenes.
!

28 hours of bliss!

I cannot say enough about this rendition of The Woman in White. Get it now and you will be transported while driving g, doing laundry, flying to Africa, etc.

THE BEST TALE ... please read it.

long, involved, complex, multiple narrators, a taste of British historical culture and class concepts throughout

Compelling Characters, Memorable Villains!

There is nothing which produces fully developed characters quite like a Victorian novel. Drama, mystery, suspense. The characters within its pages are everything you could hope for.....those to cheer for, those to despise, those to pity. One which makes your eyes roll as soon as he is introduced in the paragraph. And, then, there is Fosco!! The narration for this character is superb!! I truly enjoyed this audio. It's a treasure!!!!

Best Audiobook That Doesn't Require Full Attention

Where does The Woman in White rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book was so fun to listen to! The dramatized dialogue made the story come to life!

What did you like best about this story?

The narrators were able to capture the author's intention characterizations.

Have you listened to any of Glen McCready and Rachel Bavidge ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've never heard their narrations prior to this audiobook.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The narrators were able to portray hilarious Italian accents which were consistent with the novel's intention.

Any additional comments?

The best audiobook for driving/cleaning the house/walking/anything that doesn't require paying full attention.

A Masterpiece!

An absolute delight from start to finish. Suspenseful, touching, hilarious, satisfying. I won't say much more except to note that the trust and friendship between Walter and Marian must surely be one of the finest examples of those in literature.

Excellent!

I read this book on a recommendation at the end of Brimstone by Lincoln and Child. The story is long, but it’s a timeless story of intriguing and mystery told from a Victorian Perspective, which I found very interesting and refreshing because the characters expressed more feeling in the narrative than you get from a modern novel. I expected the novel to be boring in parts having read other novels from this time period, but this novel has made me a fan of this historical writer. The performance by the voice actors is excellent and engaging.

Enthralling listen

I skipped this one for many years. I'd read "The Moonstone" in high school and couldn't imagine anything as interesting. But tastes change: the ending of "The Moonstone" now seems contrived in an Agatha Christie-ish kind of way, and the powerful brooding atmosphere of this book trumps it in spades.

Only two readers are named in the blurb, but there are actually several people in the cast. All are first-rate. Like "The Moonstone" itself, and like a handful of other Victorian novels ("Dracula" comes to mind), "The Woman in White" alternates between various narrators, each filling in a piece of the puzzle. Some chapters are taken from diaries; others from correspondence; others were specifically requested from the participants (at least in terms of the story world) to fill out the narrative. One is supplied almost at gunpoint.

My only real regret is that Walter Hartright (get it? Hart Right?) didn't realize at some point that the devoted and courageous Marian was a much better match for him than the passive Laura. But this is, after all, a Victorian novel, and one mustn't upset the apple cart, must one?

There are some wonderful villains here as well, especially the scintillating Count Fosco. Bombastic and ridiculous, with more than a touch of Hector P Valenti, Star of Stage and Screen, Fosco is underneath all that a genuinely frightening and dangerous man.

There was one brief period, about midpoint in Marian Halcombe's narration, when the story started to get on my nerves and I found myself whispering "Get ON with it." But almost exactly at that point, the stakes were suddenly raised from financial risk to life and death, and from that point on the story grabbed hold and wouldn't let go till the last T was crossed.

Wonderful performance, but the file is tanked

Would you try another book from Wilkie Collins and/or Glen McCready and Rachel Bavidge ?

yes

What about Glen McCready and Rachel Bavidge ’s performance did you like?

Many of the voices were wonderful, in particular the bravado of Pesca at the beginning of the story, and Count Fosco at the end.

Any additional comments?

The performances were wonderful, and the book actually only becomes better as it goes along. You will be best off getting another performance of this wonderful book, though, because this one's file is corrupt less than an hour before the end of the story.