The Woman in White

By: Wilkie Collins

Narrated by: Gabriel Woolf

Length: 24 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

The Woman in White, considered one of the first mystery novels and is the best known work of English novelist Wilkie Collins.

Late one night, a drawing teacher meets a mysterious woman dressed in white. Who is she, and what is her connection to the teacher's new pupil, a beautiful heiress?

Serialized in 1859 - 1860, and first published in book form in 1860 it is still regarded still as one of the best plots in English literature. Told from multiple perspectives, the story is brought to life by its marvellous villains and complex, spirited and believable female characters.

William Wilkie Collins (1824 - 1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories.

Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

Public Domain (P)2009 RNIB

Exciting Listen! Amazing! Delicious!

Why did it take me so long to discover this spine-tingler? I majored in literature and heard this book mentioned; why not simply read it then when I was young? No matter. I'm on the second listen now and catching more bits of characterization, more details that show the author's careful planning of his story. The book transports you to 1850's England country houses with servants, long walks, dressing for dinner, dependable trains and amazingly fast mail service! Of course you want to know what happens next. Sometimes the book seems slow, as country life can seem slow. Then something is overheard or a letter is intercepted or there is a conversation during which you want to tell one of the characters to listen, pay attention and make the connection! Or don't do what you're about to do! On subsequent listens you notice how the attitudes of some characters change with time. One of the villains is mulled over and considered quite a nice-looking man, and a real charmer despite kicking dogs and yelling at servants!! So while I was commenting to myself "Gimme a break!" I was also captivated by the Victorian language and concerns in the story. ... Gabriel Woolf is an excellent narrator. Except for a couple froggies in the throat, his reading is perfect. . . I enjoyed that while the book is set in England, its scope is global. The characters go abroad and return. Or they have lived abroad. Or they are from elsewhere. . . . Collins ties everything up at the end. Lovely happy ending with our favorite characters plus of course a new little person facing their fortunate future. . . . A last comment: audible's blurb about the book suggests that it is multi-layered or a demanding mental puzzle. Yes it is, but for a reasonably bright person it is an effortless listen. I received some life-changing mail yesterday and push myself now to write this review quickly and badly to tell everybody to READ THIS BOOK -- YOU WON'T BE SORRY!

One Book You Must Read Before You Die

Thrilling and absorbing story with the most beautiful narration. I loved every moment of this book.

Excellent book and narration

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed reading one of the first mystery novels. It was so neat to see how things were in the 1800's. The story was not particularly overwhelming, dramatic, or suspenseful, but that was refreshing. It was just a well written and thought out novel.

The narrator was a bit rough in some places, with coughing and background noises, but overall, his different voices for each character helped bring the story to life.

Overall, this was a great story with good narration at an excellent price. You can't beat the value.

Wow - great story

I've given this book 5 starts because it truly is wonderful. The story is one to keep you intriged. The narrator does a great job of the different voices, however I have to say I found his throat-clearing, coughs, errors and paper shuffles a little irritating. If you love mystery and intrige with the background of a costume drama, you have to read this book.

A Book which keeps one guessing --- wrong

I had this book figured out wrong at least ten different times including the end. The author is one clever person who knows how to keep a body on edge. Spies, murder, the kidnapping of beautiful ladies, evil noblemen, ladies locked away in madhouses and of course, the stealing of an heiress's fortune. The author lets one think that one thing is about to happen then something else slaps one up-side the head. I was certain that my favorite characters were to be murdered. What actually happened was far more interesting. This book kept me on edge until I finished about 3AM. A word about the narrator, Gabriel Woolf does an unbelievable job. He completely assumes each character to disappear thus allowing the story to twist and turn.

pretend it's a live reading

You would consider this an accomplished performance if you pretended you were listening to a live reading, hence overlooked occasional verbal fumbles, swallowing noises, paper shuffling, etc. One assumes they just set a microphone in front of the reader and let him go from start to finish; not the most professional of production values, especially when other versions with fully staged casts are available. Nevertheless, the reader does a good job evoking the Victorian literary voice and creating individual characters. But don't buy this version unless it has a significantly lowered sale price.

Love this classic

Love it. It's long but worth it. Very subtle study in characters. Well written. The narrator is good but I am going to be honest has indigestion a lot. Other than that, just loved it and didn't want it to end. felt like I was involved in another time when it was in my ear. very descriptive. great!

Riveting listening

I loved this long rambling and very eloquent narration! The hero and heroine are winning, the villains scheming and amoral, and the mystery fascinating.

Great story, production standards lacking

Classics are classics for a reason. They are darn good books, and The Woman in White is no exception. The intricate plots of 19th century books always keep me wanting to know what's going to happen next.
The production standards of this particular book left quite a lot to be desired. The narrator would stumble in some sentences and start over a few words. You could hear him drinking something and turning pages at some points. Some of his different character voices were very good, but others were really hard to understand as he seemed to mumble.
That being said, the price is right for this recording. It's inexpensive and all in all I enjoyed the book.

A treasure!

This story is way over and above The Moonstone, and anything by Dickens, Austen, or Trollope, for my money. It's rich with characters to love, admire, despise, pity, respect, and fear; but most of all, to grab your interest and hold it to the very end. These are characters to remember fondly and revisit often.

Along with the usual romantic pair of star-crossed lovers, there's a loyal sister with courage and honor; one of the most disgustingly self-involved uncles ever spawned from an author's imagination; a mysterious woman who wafts in and out of the narration, getting more and more flesh on her as the story evolves; a wicked poser who steals the ... well you'll have to listen to find out what he steals; and one of my all time favorite characters, the hugely obese yet ever soft-treading, evil Count Fosco, who eats vast amounts of pastries, trains his wife, pet mice and birds to obey his voice commands, dances while singing Italian songs and playing the accordian, hammers away at the piano, mixes effective medicinals, reads others' mail, spies on the sisters, deceives, arranges complex and deadly plots, and manages to stay one step ahead of the protagonists. Yet Count Fosco falls in love.

This is a book I've listened to at least 4 times, have burned to discs, and will listen to again and again, especially on stormy nights when the wind blows the rain against my windows.

Some reviewers have criticized the narrator, Gabriel Woolf, for the added sound effects, but I was raised without a TV and was read to as a child, so throat clearing, page turning, gulping water, and taking deep breaths is just part of hearing a story read by another human being. Modern media has trained us expect air-brushed perfection from the world, but that only happens on the screen.