The Woman in White

By: Wilkie Collins

Narrated by: Josephine Bailey, Simon Prebble

Length: 25 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the greatest mystery thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White was a phenomenal best seller in the 1860s, achieving even greater success than works by Charles Dickens. Full of surprise, intrigue, and suspense, this vastly entertaining novel continues to enthrall audiences today.

The story begins with an eerie midnight encounter between artist Walter Hartright and a ghostly woman dressed all in white who seems desperate to share a dark secret. The next day Hartright, engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie and her half sister, tells his pupils about the strange events of the previous evening.

Determined to learn all they can about the mysterious woman in white, the three soon find themselves drawn into a chilling vortex of crime, poison, kidnapping, and international intrigue.

Masterfully constructed, The Woman in White is dominated by two of the finest creations in all Victorian fiction: Marion Halcombe, dark, mannish, yet irresistibly fascinating, and Count Fosco, the sinister and flamboyant "Napoleon of Crime".

Public Domain (P)2010 Tantor

A classic that should be better known

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

Probably not because of the length but I did enjoy it

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Some of the plot was predictable but there were several dramatic surprises.

Which character – as performed by Josephine Bailey and Simon Prebble – was your favorite?

Walter was my favorite, although he doesn't appear in large parts of the book. I chose this book partly because I have enjoyed Simon Prebble. The largest part narrated by Josephine Bailey is of the character Marian and I disliked how she did that character, she sounded too mechanical, as if she was reading rather than speaking.

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

There is a great surprise around the middle of the book which I didn't see coming and which introduced many questions answered in the later part of the book.

Any additional comments?

I will probably listen to others by Collins.

Wow

Wish I'd read this gem sooner! Loved all the characters. Loved the tone. Loved the ending. Up there in my favorites!

What Did I Miss?

I know many readers loved this novel but I was interested for the first third. In the second third of the book, I was getting eager to gain a little info to resolve the puzzle and became increasingly frustrated as I waited for details to emerge. In the last third of the book, I just plain gave up. It was a book with a lot of build-up and the resolution was like a dud firecracker, nothing. The quality of the writing is well-done victorian style but it's a "go nowhere" book as far as I am concerned. I would like my time back. The reader was good and I gave it two stars for the very intriguing first third of the book and the beautiful descriptive writing.

Fun classic mystery

I had read this book years and years ago. Fortunately, I had totally forgotten the plot so I was able to enjoy it 'fresh' in its audible form. I love Wilkie Collins -- and Simon Prebble and Josephine Bailey do a great job with the narration.

Twists and turns galore!

What did you love best about The Woman in White?

The love story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Woman in White?

So hard to choose just one!

Have you listened to any of Josephine Bailey and Simon Prebble ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will seek them out. They were wonderful!

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

I gasped in surprise several times !

Any additional comments?

I was sad that the story ended. The characters were very well developed.

One of my new favorites

I had never heard of this book, but purchased it based on the good reviews it got. It didn't disappoint! It had an engaging storyline, and I found it to be very unpredictable. You'll love the characters.

A Pleasant Surprise for this old English Major

I thought I knew my English Lit pretty well, but this novel was a complete surprise. It combined some memorable characters suggestive of Dickens with the manners of Jane Austen and the mystery and suspense of Agatha Christie. The device of using different narrators at different part of the novel was very clever.

Late one night, when young ladies should have been in bed, the young male protagonist encounters a young woman dressed in white lurking in the wood by the side of the highway to London. Although anxious, she decides to trust the young man to assist him. He soon has her on a cab to London. He is intrigued by the incident, but continues on his journey, never expecting to encounter her again.

Instead the mysterious woman in white and the story of her appearance that night will come to occupy him for a long time to come.

Fantastic

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

The story was intreging and I could not put it down.

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

Which character – as performed by Josephine Bailey and Simon Prebble – was your favorite?

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Any additional comments?

Loved it!

A great mystery with several twists and turns. I also love the voices. Too often audio books just use one voice for males and females. This book uses a man and a woman, thus making it much more enjoyable. I will definitely read more of his works!;

The Mystery Novel Starts Here!

Drawing master Walter Hartright falls in love with Laura Fairlie, above his station, and gets drawn into the unraveling of a conspiracy which deprives her of her title and fortune. A precursor to the modern mystery/detective novel, the story is told with multiple narrators. I knew I was committing to listening to about 25 hours, so I invested the time to test out the samples from all the other audiobook versions of this title, and settled on Josephine Bailey and Simon Prebble as the BEST! In my enthusiasm for the pleasure this book gave me, I persuaded my book club, my high school English students, and even my skeptical neighbor to read it! Perhaps the best recommendation I can give is that I am coming back four years after listening to it to write this review. It still lingers as one of my favorite listens. Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry.