Great novel, dreadful reading

Wilkie Collins' 'The Woman in White' is a compelling mystery full of suspense and intrigue. The characterisations are vivid and the situations depicted are by turns sentimental, intriguing and terrifying. All in all, it's a thoroughly satisfying Victorian novel and a fascinating historical link in the evolution of the psychological crime story.

This reading, however, is the worst that I've encountered at Audible, where the standard is usually pleasingly high. The readers are all North Americans attempting to do English accents and, although some are better at it than others, the results over all are pretty dreadful. It would have been better if they had just read their parts using their own natural accents. Instead, we get a peculiar mixture of stilted pseudo-British enunciation and clanging American vowel sounds that this reader found most disagreeable and highly distracting.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

Ripping yarn

I've just listened to this book, and then read the reviews. To be honest I didn't really notice the terrible accents that everyone else comments on. The reading style is somewhat idiosyncratic, and takes a little getting used to, but I grew to really like it. Perhaps I was too busy concentrating on the ornate prose style or perhaps I'm just dimwitted. Fantastic characters and great melodrama - and a lot more entertaing than most of the Victorian literature i've trawled through. Enjoy.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Terrible accents!

I agree with Clare about the accents. I found most of them reasonably 'English' in the first 2 parts, except for mispronunciation of words like 'inquiry' in which the stress should be on the second syllable and not the first. And 'Tor-kway' not 'Tor-kee'! Mrs Michaelson was the worst and the most obviously American. I thought this was a shame, for an English audience about such a ground-breaking English novel.

As writers did in his time, Wilkie Collins uses 20 words where one would do. How DID they manage it, using pen and ink, laboriously scratched on paper? However, the story is compelling. It's worth mentioning, however, that in 1860 ALL of a woman's money became her husband's the moment the marriage was solemnised. I don't think Laura's signature would ever have been required. Not until the Married Women's Property Acts 20 years later, until then a woman didn't own even the clothes she stood up in.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

View of English Literature undergraduate

Fantastic book, with endless turns of plot. Read an incredible diversity in tone on the part of the actor.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Terrible version!

Novel is great fun, but don't be fooled by the brief audio snippet provided on the website into thinking that this is an English version, it is American - and how! Some of the readers are OK, but their 'English' accents are terribly mannered and weak at times. Two hideous examples of mispronunciation as well - 'Torquay' being the most memorable. Truly dire attempts at cockney and other regional accents as well. High point was a hilarious rendition of the effeminate hypochondriac Frederick Fairlie - extremely well-observed by actor.

Liked idea that there were different voices for each individual's 'testimony', it's just a shame that they were Americans making a largely feeble attempt at 'doing' English accents, accents which frequently slipped into their native American ones. (I haven't checked, but I imagine that this version is quite an old one. I don't think that this would pass rigorous standards set for modern versions.)

If you're not keen on American accents and have never read the book before steer clear - I don't think that this version would add anything to your enjoyment.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful