Wuthering Heights

By: Emily Brontë

Narrated by: Janet McTeer, David Timson

Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

When Mr. Earnshaw brings a black-haired foundling child into his home on the Yorkshire moors, he little imagines the dramatic events which will follow. The passionate relationship between Cathy Earnshaw and the foundling, Heathcliff, is a story of love, hate, pity, and retribution, the effects of which reverberate throughout the succeeding generations.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

(P)2005 Naxos Audiobooks Ltd.

The best recording of this classic work.

A lot of people have praised Janet McTeer in this recording, however I seem to be of the opposite opinion, in lauding the praises of David Timson instead. It was he who I found easiest to listen to, and who enveloped me more in the story and the characters. Janet McTeer I found more one-dimensional, and grating on the ear. That's not to say it was a bad performance, just that of the two, I know which I prefered, and which I would choose to listen to again.

The book, if you haven't read it before, is rather long, and encompasses multiple generations of the families involved, and can get a little confusing at times, I found I had to hit the recap button quite a lot, but it is worth sticking with it. It was after finishing the book that I watched a couple of the film/tv adaptations, and while they were good, with strong performances, there is so much that they couldn't cover that the reading of the original work is essential.

Overall I found this to be one of the best, most exciting works I have listened to on Audible, and would recommend it.

well what can I say but that of with held love

love that was with held from both ends ...was finally given a chance in time to blossom after life.

my favorite part is when Catherine said "whatecer our souls might be, he is more myself than I am" how cruel they were to love is really hard to not speak about but what is worst is that they denied themselves the love they deserved...sad I say it be

wow! excellent

What did you love best about Wuthering Heights?

classic non-love story anout a dysfunctional family

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wuthering Heights?

death speech

What does Janet McTeer and David Timson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

character and personality. i felt as if i were there.

Phenomenal audio performance!

Would you consider the audio edition of Wuthering Heights to be better than the print version?

This question is unfair, I think. Audiobooks are a fantastic medium of storytelling and I count reading/listening as the same thing. But I couldn't get into the physical version of Wuthering Heights, it was too hard for me. So I grabbed the audio, and it made it much much easier to get into. But since I loved it so much, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back and read the book eventually because there's such something about reading those powerful lines for yourself. All in all, I love both mediums and I don't think I can answer this question.

What did you like best about this story?

The parallels and the pairs we see all throughout the story. Everything has an echo and it's fascinating to see things mirror each other.

What about Janet McTeer and David Timson ’s performance did you like?

Absolutely fantastic, especially Janet! Since she was the major narrator, I'm mostly talking about her. She got the voices down phenomenally and you could easily tell who was who. I also liked that she wasn't an old woman because Nelly wasn't an old woman in the book either, and it helped to add a bit of authenticity to the storytelling.

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

No. I had to take about a two week break because the story itself was so dark and so much at once, I needed a bit of a breather. But all in all, it took me two weeks to get through it. I listened to the first half of the story in a week and the second in another week. I think it worked out great.

Any additional comments?

I HIGHLY recommend picking up the audio if you find yourself unable to get into the book- specifically this one! The two-partner narrative is done wonderfully and again, I think it adds an authenticity to the story telling. This one is an all time favorite!

Classic!

A great reading of a beloved classic. There are so many reviews and literature studies on Wuthering Heights, so who am I to post a review on the story. But I do give 5 stars for the narrators.

Brilliant reading of a polarising story

This is one of the best audio versions of this story out there. Each of the two first person narrators are voiced by a different performer... both David Timson & Janet McTeer (who played the same role in the 1992 movie version, but makes a stronger impression here thanks to the unabridged nature of the recording) prove adept at the various regional accents, give each character a distinctive set of vocal mannerisms and relate the larger than life events of the narrative in a suitably impassioned style.

The novel itself is a controversial work that tends to divide people along “Love it or hate it” lines... and it’s not hard to see why. Haunting imagery abounds and much of the dialogue attains an almost poetic beauty and grandeur. However, it is a grim narrative, full of abuse, incest and death - in which the main characters are often sadistically cruel or stupidly ineffectual. The pile up of misery can get wearying after a while, despite the technical brilliance of the writing. So approach with caution.

Narrator is exceptional and the story gripping.

I loved
This book. The characters were unique and yet believable. So much passion and energy to lift anyone from the mundane.

One Of The Best Narrations

Reading Wuthering Heights in high school and again in my early thirties, I never could lose myself in the characters. Although one of the great "stories" in English literature, I never thought of it as a classic "novel".

However, after listening to Ms McTeer's narration, I have become much more appreciable of this story. Her ability to tell the story, I got lost in the characters; in fact, I thought Ms McTeer was Nelly at times. She brings you back to the time when your mother read to you before bed. Her timing between silences and emphasis of phrases (her overall intonation) was superb.

Mr Timson's narration is also superb. The way he introduces the book and allows "Nellie" to tell the story is a classic approach. I wish audio books would use this method more often. It made the book and narration more exciting. It's as if I was Mr Longwood (Timson's character) listening to Nellie. They made a great narrating team.

A definite 5-Star narration I highly recommend. This is only the third 5-stars rating I have assigned to audio books (out of more than 100 audio downloads).

LOVE IT!!!!!!

This is one of my all time favorite books! The reader is phenomenal and makes you want to listen to the story in one setting. Definitely worth the money :)

A Classic and a Definitive Performance

What made the experience of listening to Wuthering Heights the most enjoyable?

Thanks for the reviews, I read them and chose this version based on them and was not disappointed. This has become the definitive Wuthering Heights experience for me, although it was the first and only time I've heard it. The quality of the prose and the performance together, by actors with genuine accents made it all that I imagined the Wuthering Heights experience can be. If you're new to Wuthering Heights, I strongly recommend this version.