The Woman in White

De: Wilkie Collins

Narrado por: Roger Rees, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, Judy Geeson

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.

Rush, Saunter, Sit

Excellent story and now the source of my new favorite quote: Some people rush through life, some people saunter through life, Miss Vesy sat through life. Story read by my favorite reader: Rosalind Landor.

An Amazing Classic!

I very highly recommend this great listen! This is an impeccably narrated book. It is an amazing classic, the writing comparable to a Charles Dickens novel (of whom Wilkie Collins was in fact a contemporary). The writing itself is worth the listen and the plot has many twist and turns. The only book that has ever gotten a 5-star all around from me!

ehh

The story could have definitely been cut down in half. I like descriptive narrative as much as the next reader but alot of the times it just seemed to ramble on and on. I mean it has the story from so many different points of view. the 2 sisters, the maid the other maid, the father...i mean COME ONNNN. The story was entertaining enough to get me to finish it, but it was annoying enough for it not to be enjoyable. I can't say I was sad it was finally over with. Maybe if you can find an abridged version?

Love so much!

This was such a great book! There are a few parts in the middle where I was thinking, "You were paid by the word, weren't you..." -- but it's so well written that at one point I looked up the ending because I was so curious... and then finished listening to the book because even spoilers couldn't spoil it!

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!