The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
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The Woman in White

Author: Wilkie Collins

Narrator: Roger Rees, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, Judy Geeson

Unabridged: 25 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/16/2009

Synopsis

When Walter Hartright encounters a solitary, terrified, beautiful woman dressed in white on a moonlit night in London, he feels impelled to solve the mystery of her distress. Full of secrets, locked rooms, lost memories, and surprise revelations, The Woman in White features heroine Marian Halcombe and drawing-master Walter Hartright as sleuthing partners pitted against the diabolical Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde.This gothic psychological thriller, a mesmerizing tale of murder, intrigue, madness, and mistaken identity, has gripped the imaginations of readers since its first publication in 1860. The breathtaking tension of Collins’ narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.

About Wilkie Collins

Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) was an English novelist. He studied law and was admitted to the bar but never practiced. Instead, he devoted his time to writing and is best known for his novels The Woman in White, No Name, Armadale, and The Moonstone, which has been called the finest detective story ever written. A number of his works were collaborations with his close friend, Charles Dickens. The Woman in White so gripped the imagination of the world that Wilkie Collins had his own tombstone inscribed: “Author of The Woman in White.”

About Roger Rees

Roger Rees, Welsh stage, film, and television actor and, more recently, narrator of audiobooks, is known on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States he received a Tony Award for the Broadway production of Nicholas Nickleby. American TV viewers are familiar with Roger from Cheers, in which he played Robin Colcord. As for audiobooks, Roger has performed in a wide variety of programs, from the LA Theatre Works’ production of Lady Windmere’s Fan, to mystery anthologies such as Malice Domestic and thrillers like Pop Goes the Weasel. His audiobook narration has won four AudioFile Earphones Awards.

About Rosalyn Landor

Rosalyn Landor is an English-born television, theater, and multiple-award-winning audiobook narrator. Her television credits include Love in a Cold Climate, Rumpole of the Bailey, Sherlock Holmes, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has won numerous Audie awards and AudioFile magazine Earphones awards.

About John Lee

John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Grace Tjan on August 06, 2012

Beware of spoilers! What I learned from this book (in no particular order) : 1. Italians are excitable, dedicated to the opera, and most likely to be involved with organized crime. 2. Beware of fat, jolly Italian counts with submissive wives and fondness of white mice and canaries. 3. Watch out if your......more

Goodreads review by Bill on March 17, 2020

The only real flaw in this densely plotted page-turner of a novel is that in the end it slightly disappoints because it promises more than it delivers. It makes the reader fall in love with its plain but resourceful heroine Marian Halcombe, and teases us with the delightful prospect that she will be......more

Goodreads review by Bionic Jean on February 05, 2025

The Woman in White is an extraordinary book. It captivated the reading public of the time, and in parts is almost as breathlessly mesmerising and gripping to read now. Wilkie Collins professed the “old-fashioned” idea, that “the primary object of a work of fiction should be to tell a story”, and wha......more

Goodreads review by Paul on May 22, 2018

Laura Fairlie’s journal – June 6th, 1855 This morning in the garden I sketched a small flower and was overcome with exhaustion. I retired to my room, not before kissing my dearest darling Marian, and lay down upon my sofa for five hours. What a day! In the evening I played upon the piano, a quite dif......more

Goodreads review by Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ on October 11, 2019

"I am thinking," he remarked quietly, "whether I shall add to the disorder in this room by scattering your brains about the fireplace."Written in 1859-60 by William "Wilkie" Collins and originally published in serial form in Charles Dickens' magazine (Wilkie and Charles were good friends), The Woman......more

Quotes

“The Woman in White has lasted, to our great pleasure, because it is superb storytelling about people who engage our minds and our imaginations.” Anne Perry, New York Times bestselling author

“Collins was a master craftsman, whom many modern mystery-mongers might imitate to their profit.”  Dorothy L. Sayers, New York Times bestselling author

“[A] genuine classic…and, a rare thing among mystery stories, wonderful to reread.” Independent on Sunday (London)

“A wonderfully mysterious novel. It is large and sweeping, with skillfully drawn characters, lovely passages, and absolutely haunting scenes, a fully formed nineteenth-century novel with all the trimmings.” Publishers Weekly

“Both fans and newcomers to this classic suspense novel will enjoy the narrators’ light British accents. The actors use varied vocal rhythms and patterns to distinguish educated upper-class characters from those lower on the pecking order. Especially effective are the convincing (and sometimes hilariously accented) voice of sinister Fosco; the stilted, sighing tones of hypochondriac patriarch Frederick Fairlie; and the sure, confident sounds of Marian Halcombe.” Booklist (audio review)

“Since Collins tells the story through a series of individual narratives, the publisher chose a talented cast of actors to deliver the various points of view. Roger Rees portrays Laura’s brave friend, Walter Hartright, with the feeling and candor so evident in his personality. Equally compelling is Rosalyn Landor’s depiction of Marian Halcombe in a rational but genuine tone. All the actors give much attention to the various dialects and foreign accents as they embody the array of characters. The production not only draws the listener into the thrilling mystery but also offers a lot of fun along the way.” AudioFile

Awards

  • Audie Award
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