The Woman in White

By: Wilkie Collins

Narrated by: Glen McCready, Rachel Bavidge

Walter Hartright, a drawing teacher to two sisters, wants to marry Laura, though she is betrothed to another. But who is the mysterious woman in white he encounters?

Wilkie Collins was a master of suspense, but his transfer to audiobook requires a cast of readers to faithfully reflect the11 different characters who tell the story. Naxos AudioBooks brings together a strong cast to bring alive the mystery and suspense of The Woman in White.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2008 Naxos Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Collins's mid-Victorian novel is one of the first, and possibly still the greatest, of all literary thrillers." ( The Irish Times)

Excellent Writing; Superb Narration

This book has been reviewed here as presented by other publishers and narrators, but I must say that the narration of this book is some of the best I've heard in my years at Audible. No nuance or inflection was overlooked and the voices always add to and never detract from the suspense.

The book itself is wonderful and becomes especially winding and convoluted during the last half. The plot is quite intricate. Although the manner of writing and speaking is much more formal in this book, written circa 1860, than our language now, it's quite astounding how the phrases and idioms add to the richness of the tale. If you really enjoy "wordcraft", you'll like this!

I liked it so much, I've now begun another book by Collins, "The Moonstone".

The Woman in White

This book was amazing! I was engaged with each character and invested in the plot. The readers were great but, the story makes this one a don't miss!! Plot twists, complex characters and intrigue this book has it all. It is not fast and there is some redundancy in the characters recollections but I found it added to the plot and deepened the mystery. It is long and will take some time to get through but Collins masterfully develops his plot and sucks in his readers/listeners. This one is the granddaddy of modern thrillers and it set the bar pretty high!

Excellent reading performance but flawed storyline

The narrators were very good and in tune with the plot. The story, however, is a bit contrived. The first and second epochs (the second, in particular) are very well constructed and tense. The third epoch, however, is extremely improbable. Most arguments presented are hard to believe. Besides, the story has one great flaw as a whole: it is too didactic. The author explains too much, gives too much detail where it is not due, and exhausts the reader trying to cover every possible gap (he not only does not cover the gaps, but also seems to be belittling the reader's talent to deduce plot details from allusions he makes). The story is fun, but it is in no way memorable

Weak story. Excellent performance

Tediously slow plot development. Unappealing, overdrawn characters A plot with some nice surprises, but also with loose ends. Wonderful narration.

Very well read!

Love the book and it is every well read by all actors. I will read it again over the years.