The Woman in White

By: Wilkie Collins

Narrated by: Roger Rees, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, Judy Geeson

Length: 25 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Young Walter Hartright meets the mysterious woman in white in what soon became one of the most popular novels of the 19th century. Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery thriller an instant success when it first appeared in 1860, and it has continued to enthrall ever since.

From the hero's foreboding before his arrival at Limmeridge House to the nefarious plot concerning the beautiful Laura, the breathtaking tension of Collins's narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.

Generally considered the first English sensation novel, The Woman in White features the remarkable heroine Marian Halcombe and her sleuthing partner, drawing-master Walter Hartright, pitted against the diabolical team of Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde. A gripping tale of murder, intrigue, madness, and mistaken identity, Collins's psychological thriller has never been out of print since its publication in 1860.

While Collins's other great mystery, The Moonstone, has been called the finest detective story ever written, it was this work that so gripped the imagination of the world that Wilkie Collins had his own tombstone inscribed "Author of The Woman in White."

Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Another multi-cast winner

his famous nineteenth century novel is the perfect choice for a multi-cast reading, and this is a wonderful production. Almost 26 hours long, Roger Rees, Rosalyn Lander, John Lee and Judy Geeson create every character distinctly as the author intended. Originally published as a serial, each character tells their own part of the mystery as if they are giving testimony in a court of law. The sense of mystery, tension and horror increases with every change of perspective until the final d??nouement.

The structure of this novel seemed amazingly modern. Had it not been for the jarring racial and social stereotypes sprinkled throughout the book, I could have believed that it was historical fiction written by a contemporary author. After many suspenseful twists and turns of the plot, Collins wraps up all of the loose ends and comes to a mostly satisfying happily ever after. It only left this twenty-first century reader with one unanswered question; how could Walter Hartright possibly prefer the vapid Laura to the courageous Marian?

A Slow Burn

My understanding is that this book is one of the great early detective / suspense novels. I guess I'll have to agree to disagree with the critics on this one. The performances in this are very well done, and I can certainly find no fault with that. Likewise, the prose is elegantly written, so it's not the writing that kills it. The problem lies in a painfully slow buildup. The payoff is ultimately well executed, but it takes far too long to get there. Normally I can appreciate a slow burn like this, but in this case something just didn't work for me. This is perhaps one of the few times where I can claim that maybe if the storytelling had been reined in by about a third that it might have been a better read. Still, I do appreciate the writing style of good Gothic prose, so it was still worth it.

Kept my interest!

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this audiobook. Although I got the sense it could have been condensed into a shorter, less wordy version. It was hard for me, a modern woman, to suffer through the way women of that time were being treated (as the property of their father/guardian/husbands). But sticking with it proved rewarding.

Great Fun, Well Read

This was recommended to me by a good and very wise friend. I wasn't too excited because I'm not a fan of 19th century crime drama---but this is very well written and highly entertaining. I completely enjoyed it.

Allow a few chapters to get into it and then enjoy your time in the past!

wonderful multicharater reading.

Would you listen to The Woman in White again? Why?

The is a novel that has multiple narrators and so the producers of this audiobook wisely used multiple GREAT actors. The result is fabulous.

Great performance of a classic!

Truly excellent multi cast performance of a classic gothic style mystery.
Unabridged
If you are not familiar with the story/ author ... the style is similar ( IMHO) to Charles Dickens... lots of dramatic descriptions.
If you like Dickens you will love this.
If not, you may find some passages tedious... speed up the playback!
It is my understanding that The Woman In White if often credited as the first mystery.
Give it a go!

a little slow to get started but a good solid read

good read (listen)
intrigue, love, lost love, family. twists & turns. and I like the different readers for such a long story, it breaks it up.

Enthralling

Would you listen to The Woman in White again? Why?

Not likely. Too many other books out there to go back and re-listen.

What other book might you compare The Woman in White to and why?

Like a great Dickens novel--a gallery of sharply drawn characters, class distinctions, mistaken identities, mysterious strangers, an earnest hero, star-crossed lovers, amazing coincidences.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene with Marion Holcombe in it. She was a liberated woman for her time.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was a bit exasperated during the last quarter of the book as the author seemed to drag the story out interminably. I think this was because it was first published as a serialized novel and he and/or his publisher and/or readers simply didn't want to let a good story go.

Any additional comments?

A groundbreaking novel for its time--the first amateur sleuthing team--and interesting as the forerunner of so many later novels in this genre. Hugely entertaining and expertly narrated by a team of fine actors.

A superb retelling of a classic

What made the experience of listening to The Woman in White the most enjoyable?

The narrators were excellent and each character was very clearly defined,

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The many voices show the class and regional accents in a most illuminating way

Loved It!

Any additional comments?

Loved the story. What I don't understand is if you have a women (Rosalyn and Judy) that is reading some of the story than why doesn't she read all of the lines of a woman in the story. I just can't get behind the voice of a man trying to sound like a woman. It just doesn't work for me (makes me cringe).