Lady Audley's Secret

By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Narrated by: Kim Hicks

Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Lady Audley is universally adored: Beautiful, kind, and charming, she enamors all whom she meets. It is not until the strange disappearance of widower George Talboys that her behavior takes an odd turn. George's friend, Robert Audley, Lady Audley's nephew-in-law, is on the case; an upper-class layabout turned detective, he is determined to get to the bottom of things.

Mystery, mayhem, madness, and despair: Lady Audley's Secret is the gripping and suspenseful novel that has been branded "the most sensationally successful of all the sensation novels" (John Sutherland) and rivals some of Wilkie Collins' best books, such as The Moonstone and The Woman in White. Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens, and Henry James all admitted to reading Braddon's work with great enjoyment; Alfred Lord Tennyson professed to have read everything she ever wrote.

Kim Hicks gives an absorbing reading, full of charm and insight.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2016 Naxos AudioBooks

Disappointing

Having seen other reviews indicating what a great mystery this was, I was so disappointed with the plot. It was evident after the first chapter what the story line would be - there was no mystery about it. Given the lack of suspense, it dragged interminably.

Great Book with a Great Reader!

I found this book to be great fun, and read by a talented reader. The basic plot was already known to me (read the plot summary years ago - book published in the mid-1800's), but I greatly enjoyed watching it play out. This book was well written, and the characters well described. The hero made deductions, tried to find proof, and made errors of judgment that sometimes set him back, but then I knew who had done what when I started listening. I had heard of this as being published in the same time period as Wilkie Collins' early books, and was curious. Kim Hicks really brought it to life, and I'm glad that I listened!

Bravo!!!

What a great story!! It’s the best story I have listened to since the Woman in White! It is exquisitely written and the narrator’s performance is fantastic! I strongly recommend this book!

Great performance by narrator

I highly recommend this audiobook for people who love a good Victorian sensation novel. This book is often compared to The Woman in White, and while it isn't as well written or as well plotted as that novel, I would recommend Lady Audley's Secret for fans of Wilkie Collins. The mystery is intriguing, and the writing is wonderful. Unfortunately, the novel is longer than it needs to be, and the hero of the book is something of a condescending prig without much personality, which made it hard for me to root for him. On the plus side, all of the other characters--villains, heroes, and even side characters--are incredibly well drawn. Lady Audley is particularly fascinating. Although the story does drag in parts, Kim Hicks does such a great job with the narration that I was never bored. She brought the characters to life so that, even if the plot wasn't advancing as quickly as I would have liked, I was always invested in the dialogue and action being narrated. All in all, it's an enjoyable listen.

A good classic

This was truly entertaining. If you can appreciate the classics and writing that by today's standards is wordy and a mystery that is predictable but still engaging w great characters you'll enjoy this book. In league w The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

An inspired reading of a sensational novel

Kim Hicks' reading of Brandon's novel is superb and, at times, astonishing, for example, the lengthy passage in Vol 3 Ch 8 performed in the voice of Luke Marks. Bravo!

For her, it was modern time. For us, the centuries have turned

After reading the blub on this book, I had to get it as it was praised by other authors of her time who I've read and enjoyed.

The book kept amazing me as each time I thought it finished, it wasn't! Of course I could see there was more time left but well... when it really ends, everything is wrapped up in a nice bow.

I love her writing style! There is an almost lyrical quality to it.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well fleshed out and most realistic. This book, if turned into a modern day drama could be easily adapted.

Kim Hicks does a grand job of narration! Each person is clearly recognized. She never gets in their way. The male voices sounded right.

enjoyable

I enjoyed the book, it was well written and well read, I'm not used to this type of chain of events
but I really enjoyed it and learned few things

Thank You Very Much, Yvette

And thank you Pamela, Patricia McCool, and the mysterious D, too. I’m always on the lookout for “new” Victorian novelists and, while Lady Audley’s Secret had been on my wish list for a while, I’d never bothered to look at the reviews. When I did, I found comparisons to Wilkie Collins and references to “a good Victorian sensation novel” that was “enjoyable”, “great fun” and “very ‘listenable’”. Actually, you guys had me at “Wilkie Collins”; and I’m happy to say that you were right; the credit and the time listening were very well-spent indeed.

Braddon has wit, a fine dramatic sense and, for a popular Victorian novelist, is not overburdened with sentiment. What some see as wordiness is really one of the glories of the Victorian novel: lush eruptions of diction that can paint a scene, reveal a character, skewer a social convention or delineate a human foible in a way that is at once circumlocutory and direct. I agree with HODGEPODGESPV that—especially after Book 3, Chapter 3—the story seemed to be “over”, and I too wondered where it could possibly go from there. Admittedly, some of the loose ends could have been tied up quicker, but the "nice bow" at the end is very satisfying. Wikipedia’s “partial” catalogue of Braddon’s output lists 68 novels, raising the question why more of her work isn’t available in high quality audio form. I mean, the other 67 can’t all be stinkers, right?

I agree with D’s observation that the mystery is “predictable”, but the real story here isn’t so much the crime as the way it is uncovered. Also, being a dedicated P. G. Wodehouse fan, Robert Audley’s sluggardly character delighted rather than repelled me (sorry, Pamela). Personally, I’d love to live that languidly if I could afford to. And besides, as the book proceeds, Mr. Audley becomes active enough for six barristers. The reviews include enthusiastic kudos for our reader Kim Hicks, and I add my plaudits here, too. The usual Naxos excellence is in evidence everywhere, from cover art to recording quality.

A very Victorian story

The excellent narration really made this rather dated story a compelling story. Definetely over-long by current standards, but I rather enjoyed it.