The Woman in White (Abridged) Audiobook

" Loved it, in all its 19th century overblown, overdramatized, wordy glory. Especially loved the narrator's theory that Mother Nature had a "vegetable" preoccupation" when she made Mrs. Vesey and that's why Mrs. Vsey has all the vitality of a cabbage. Also, loved the hard-faced Mrs. Catherick who revels in having lived down her scandolous life and rushes to the window every time the vicar passes just to enjoy the fact that she is respectable enough now (and donates enough $) to make him bow politely to her. "

" After reading "Drood" a couple years ago I became more aware of Wilkie Collins, a contemporary of Charles Dickens, and thought it would be fun to check out this... the most famous of Collins' work... and also what is considered the first "Mystery" novel. The actual story is a good one, and probably very exciting for the Victorian times in which it was written, but the man does drag it on and on. My buddy, Matt, reminded me that this book was introduced as a "serial," bit by bit, and that when serials were popular, they'd be purposely drawn out longer. That does explain a lot, but the pace is definitely slow. Collins is not one to quickly get to any point. Plus, the book is very passive and told through the reading of letters and testimony regarding a past event. Nothing is happening "now." Some of the more exciting points of the tale (deaths, fires, etc...) are not described in any detail at all really... possibly because it would have been too scandalous for the time to do so? So... story in general = cool. Length/pace of the book = ughhhhh. "

" Interesting in that is was supposed to be one of the first "thrillers". Was kind of draggy by modern standards. Could picture Victorian ladies gasping at passages. "

" IT IS THE FINEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!!! THANK YOU !!!! "

" One brilliant and goosebump-making scene at the start (where the woman in white first appears on an empty country road), and some fantastically evil characters later on..However very very slow progress to a forgettable end. "

" Wow, I forgot what a great book this is. Five stars for me! "

" Great book! A pleasure; kept me guessing and enthralled and beautifully written. Will look for more by this author, a contemporary of Dickens. "

" Very interesting book. Had me hooked right from the begining. Great characters and well written. Good suspense. The language is a bit hard to read at times but the authors description of each character is so well done that you feel you know exactly why they act as they do. "

" Perfectly enjoyable mystery, with some really inventive characters and pretty good story-telling from multiple viewpoints -- but marred by constant sexism and classism. "

" Classic for the period. I've listened to it on CD twice. "

" I like Wilkie Collins as much as Charles Dickens...sometimes more! Very atmospheric. And humorous at times! So glad I discovered him. "

" Surprisingly readable and intriguing story. Takes some time, due to the length, but worth it. Maybe some Dickens after this? "

" This is one of the greatest books I believe. There was not a single page in the book where I felt I was bored. Marian Halcombe and Count Fosco were the two characters I really loved. Then, Walter Hartright and Anne Catherick. "

" Could not put it down. "

" surprisingly good read. It wasn't paced at today's speed, but over all the story was well told and suspenseful. The villains are especially evil. It's a pleasure to find a believable bad guy that I can really hate! "

" long story but well written. PRedictable ending. Great character development especially Fosco and Hartright. Lame spy connection. Missed out on the opportunity to develop Farlie and his nervous habits. good read for entertainment! and so it goes on the appropriate shelf. "

" Good book written by A friend of Charles Dickens. "

" Great book!!! Really intriguing, suspenseful and romantic all in one. Deep, creepy and gripping throughout!!!! "

" amazing book with twists and turns that keep you reading! "

" Amazing book, written as an account by a succession of people who take up the story in turn. Much better than the TV adaptation. "

" I did like this book a lot. It didn't engross me like some do but I would love to see this story remade into a modern movie. Very cunning writing and story developing. I liked the characters and the many different points of view. "

" I somehow missed this in my Victorian novel readings...good plot although I sometimes get the impression that the good Mr. Collins didn't think much of women... "

" One of the original detective stories written in the 1800's. Held my interest, but was so long-winded. It could have ended at 300 pages, but went on for 200 more. "

" Read it! Such a magnificent mystery story with a wonderfully strong female charcter, considering the time. "

" Was amazing - far better than I expected. I was drawn into it from the start, and the ending was satisfying (which is always a worry in stories where there's lots of tension at the beginning). I recommend to all. "

" I think of this as the first popular mystery. "

" Ha, read this one for a class. Next time, I will look at the course description before signing up for a class just because it met in the basement of my dorm. "

" It was not a fast read, and it took me awhile to kind of get into it. But, I ended up loving the mystery and the interesting villains. "

" I read this several months ago but haven't forgotten how compelling it was. The quintessential Victorian novel. "

" Victorian Gothic perfection. And it's actually very scary, and I'm not talking about the fact that the main character is a female detective with a slight moustache. "