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  • The Woman in White

  • By: Wilkie Collins
  • Narrated by: Ian Holm
  • Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,277 ratings)
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The Woman in White cover art

The Woman in White

By: Wilkie Collins
Narrated by: Ian Holm
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Summary

Exclusively from Audible

Late one moonlit night, Walter Hartright encounters a solitary and terrified woman dressed all in white. He saves her from capture by her pursuers and determines to solve the mystery of her distress and terror.

Inspired by an actual criminal case, this gripping tale of murder, intrigue, madness and mistaken identity has never been out of print since its publication and brought Collins great fame and success. Considered to be among the first mystery novels and the first and finest in the genre of 'sensation novels', The Woman in White is noted for its suspenseful plot and unique characterisation.

Collins's use of multiple narrators drew on his legal training and he states 'the story of an offence against the laws is told in Court by more than one witness'.

In 2003, Robert McCrum writing for The Observer ranked The Woman in White number 23 in the top 100 greatest novels of all time. The novel was also listed at number 77 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.

Charles Dickens was a close friend and mentor of Collins, and the two collaborated together on drama and fiction. The Woman in White, as well as some of his other work, was first published in Dickens' journals.

Narrator Biography

Sir Ian Holm, is a star of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who has played more than 100 roles in films and on television, whilst receiving a stream of awards and nominations. His television debut came as Richard III on the BBC's filmed theatrical production The Wars of the Roses (1965). One of his best-known roles is Sam Mussabini in Chariots of Fire (1981). He has also starred in The Fifth Element (1997), From Hell (2001), The Aviator (2004) and as Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. He has provided voice-overs for many television documentaries including 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009), starred in the BBC's The Lord of the Rings radio dramatisations and narrated many audiobooks. In 1989 he was appointed CBE and in 1998 was knighted for his services to drama.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Woman in White

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,623
  • 4 Stars
    446
  • 3 Stars
    137
  • 2 Stars
    41
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Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,417
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    27

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow! What an excellent book!

Cannot recommend it highly enough. Beautifully written, full of suspense and very well narrated. A real 'page turner'.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!!

If you could sum up The Woman in White in three words, what would they be?

Compulsive , enthralling, unputdownable

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character because of his determination to find the truth

What about Ian Holm’s performance did you like?

His voices

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Victorian melodrama

Any additional comments?

A very enthralling story unusually told from the viewpoint of different characters so that circumstances and links helped the understanding of the story to unfold.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beware the Count...

A truly epic work; I admit I had to pace myself with this one but it was well worth it. Delicately haunting throughout, there are moments of great suspense and elements of sinister intrigue. The attention given to each character creates images so real it is as if I had met them in real life. Ian Holm's reading is perfect.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Slow burner but worth pursuing

Great story and Ian Holm’s narration makes it come alive. Excellent purchase, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a lot of subplots.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly told classic.

The book is a wonderful classic, brilliantly narrated. Better than the film by far so do get it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An outstanding novel

A brilliant story, almost Dickensian, read brilliantly by Martin Jarvis. Many years since I first read it and it is undoubtedly a classic.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb

Wonderful to re 'read' this fabulous book after so many years. Performance is brilliant! Story is superb.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly portrayed!

I have loved this book since I was a child and have read it numerous times. Ian Holm's rendition its brilliant and brings every character to life in his vocal portrayal of this masterpiece.

The story is kept flowing and every suspenseful moment is encouraged by his tone and inflection. This audible book is highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Well known story

This story has been on Radio. I have enjoyed being able to listen at my leisure. Great story well read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but ridden with sexism

This story was captivating from start to finish. It was a very enjoyable read. But all those instances of Victorian sexism really annoyed me. Sentences like “I am only a woman,” “it’s just a woman’s courage” and “women are like children grown up” are quite common in the book. I only kept going because the story was quite good.

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