Play Audiobook Sample
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 23,338 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Like her sisters Emily and Charlotte, Anne Brontë published under a male pseudonym, yet still this novel was scorned by many for its exposure of the abusive male chauvinism that was concealed, like all things sexual, during the Victorian Era.
Just as Anne had to use a male pseudonym in order to publish, Helen Graham, the novel’s protagonist and a battered wife, must assume an alias in order to gain freedom from her suffering. With her young child, Helen takes up residence at Wildfell Hall, shrouding her past in secrecy yet earning the attentions of a young unmarried country gentleman. Anne Brontë employs the atmosphere of the bleak Yorkshire moors and the cold, rugged gloom of the fictional mansion to set the stage for a tragedy that reveals the secret violence in a society considered well-mannered.
With a powerful plot that reveals the troubles of the times, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is now lauded as a classic of Victorian literature.
Download and start listening now!
"A thought provoking novel about a bright, independent woman who marries too young. Her husband's alcoholic philaderings destroy her happiness and his verbal abuse and in turn neglectfulness overwhelms her in a sorrowful, and lonely life. This novel leads the reader to serious thoughts on women's rights to property, finances and divorce that was denied them not so many years ago."
— Kendell (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Frederick Davidson and Nadia May take the roles of the storytellers, and they do an excellent job of portraying both the male and female voices. May reads Helen’s diary and correspondence. May’s voice is young, fresh and naive, well-suited to Helen as a young woman; the voices of the men are excellent as well. Her laughter sounds genuine, and her portrayal of drunken men is perfect. She moves the narrative along crisply, with just the right touch of drama. Davidson’s voicing is also excellent…The choice to use both male and female narrators was a good one, enlivening the story and underlining the differences between the sexes in Victorian England.”
— AudioFile -
“Anne’s second and last novel was published to great success in 1848. Its subject-matter at the time was so shocking that one reviewer declared it ‘utterly unfit to be put into the hands of girls.’ The novel is vast but primarily tells the story of Helen, whose husband is abusive and dissipated…The book’s most shocking moments are the ones which depict Arthur’s abusive attempts to get the young child drunk, seemingly to spite and hurt his wife, and it’s clear from the narrative that Brontë had a lot of first-hand experience in dealing with and subduing drunk men. The book was so upsetting to her sister Charlotte that, after Anne’s death she passed on the chance to have it reprinted, and the book was neglected for a really long time. Today it is widely considered to be a landmark in early feminist literature, but its frank depictions of addiction within marriage are just as deserving of acclaim.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Of the three Brontë sisters, Emily and Charlotte are better known, yet it is Anne’s work which carries some of the strongest…themes…While the plot continues and mysteries are unraveled, what Helen and Gilber say…reinforces Anne Brontë’s indictment of the sexual double standards of nineteenth-century Britain.”
— Erica Bauermeister, 500 Great Books by Women -
“Every reader who has felt the power of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights comes, sooner or later, to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Anne Brontë, with all the Brontë taste for violence and drama…did not shrink. She used the material at hand, and shaped it with singular honesty and seriousness…Anne is a true Brontë.”
— Margaret Lane, Brontë scholar
Awards
-
A Literary Hub Pick of Novels That Capture the Pain and Chaos of Alcoholism
-
A BuzzFeed Books Pick of Underrated Books You Should read ASAP
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Listener Reviews
-
" That was a rather long letter, eh? "
— Marieke, 1/22/2014 -
" At first I was really interested in the mysterios Mrs Graham but as her storr progressed i felt it dragged on it and considering it was supposed to be in the form of a long letter it should have been much shorter. The excessive detail thus demerits this novel. "
— Gemma, 7/18/2013 -
" I LOVED this book. Just loved it. Helen is amazing (Gilbert's a wet blanket, but so what) and Arthur a tyrant of the highest order. I can't imagine the impact this had on Victorian society. What the hell were the Bronte women on up there in Haworth? What a fantastic bunch of crypto-feminist geniuses. "
— Darren, 2/18/2013 -
" There is a reason why some books are still read 150+ years later. "
— Ginger, 1/21/2013 -
" I really really enjoyed reading this, and couldn't put it down until it was done. The Bronte sisters are all just fantastic. :) She had me completely hating some characters, and sympathizing with others. "
— Tiffany, 12/24/2012 -
" That was a FANTASTIC book. I highly recommend it. Another wonderful example of the Bronte staunchly virtuous heroine. Dawn: YOU WOULD LOVE THIS ONE I THINK. "
— Elizabeth, 12/18/2012 -
" I'm not sure what I think of this novel. Intriguing, yes. Compelling, yes. Well written, yes. Still, it left me somewhat uncomfortable and unfulfilled. I found myself disliking the main character. How can one truly enjoy a novel in which the heroine is so distasteful? "
— Erika, 6/12/2011 -
" Classic girly book without the dryness of similar girly books from that time (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, etc.). "
— Emily, 9/3/2010 -
" Definitely one to read again. "
— Monica, 6/5/2010 -
" I had high hopes for this one and it started out good but completely fell apart in the middle due to the worst/longest diary entry of all time. It completely derailed the book and it never recovered. There's a good romance story in their though, if you can make it to the end. "
— MJ, 5/5/2010 -
" Really loved this book - have ordered the movie and hope to get it soon. "
— Carly, 10/28/2009 -
" I really enjoyed this book. I loved the strength and courage of Helen, and the way the story was written in the form of letters and diary entries. I also thought the ending was lovely and I'm so glad I finally read this! "
— Shirley, 8/5/2008 -
" There are very beautiful pictures in this book. "
— Helen, 3/30/2008 -
" I love the language in this book, did people really talk so properly back then? Ah, if only we could use half of the proper words they used back then. This book was a bit slow at times but rewarding. "
— Sandra, 2/13/2008 -
" I'm loving this book. I didn't even know there was a 3rd Bronte sister - I'm slow sometimes folks! This is a great work, I would love to sit down to dinner with the Bronte women! "
— Tamara, 12/26/2007
About Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë (1820–1849) was born in Yorkshire, the youngest of six children. Her mother died within a year of her birth, and her two eldest siblings died four years later. The Brontë children were raised in an isolated Yorkshire parsonage, where they thrived in fantasy worlds that drew on their voracious reading of Byron, Scott, Shakespeare, and Gothic fiction. Anne’s first novel, Agnes Grey, was published in a volume together with Emily’s Wuthering Heights in 1847. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall reflects her brother Branwell’s gradual descent into alcoholism, drug addiction, and madness. Both Branwell and Emily died of tuberculosis in 1848; Anne succumbed to the same illness in 1849.
About the Narrators
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.