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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
- Narrated by: Piers Wehner, Katy Carmichael
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Summary
In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte created a strong, modern heroine who challenged the prevailing morals and politics of the Victorian era.
When Helen Graham shut her bedroom door on her abusive, drunken husband, it was a door-slam heard around the world. Escaping to Wildfell Hall after a loveless marriage, Helen, our mysterious tenant, lives in quiet seclusion, while her reclusive nature quickly becomes the subject of local gossip.
Gilbert Markham, a young farmer, becomes intrigued with Ms. Graham and soon discovers the shocking secrets of her dark past.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 03-02-20
Superb novel & audible presentation of full text.
A superb novel - and both narrators were truly excellent - this novel should be much better known than it is.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ali H
- 03-10-21
Marred by some execrable narration!
Here’s a book which in recent times is being hailed as the “first feminist novel” and rated as being up there with the Greats from the other Brontë sisters, but which I’m not sure I’ll even manage to finish, so spoiled is it by some very inept and jarring narration by its male reader.
Piers Wehner’s voice and narrative tics are distinctly ODD. He emphasises all the wrong words in a sentence, e.g, placing great stress on prepositions & conjunctions (such as “of”, “at”, “but”, “and”, “for”) while swallowing the important nouns and verbs. The ensuing distortion of meaning makes you wonder if English is his first language. He reads extremely slowly so that you have to increase the speed on your device, and all in one vaguely northern accent, with no attempt to accommodate changes for gender, class, provenance or age.
After about 16 chapters, mercifully, the female voice intervenes and all of a sudden the narrative starts to race along and, at last, you can appreciate the book’s merits. Alas, 30 chapters on and we’re back to plodding Piers again, and I’m wondering if I’ll be able to stick it out! His narration really is the worst I’ve ever heard on an audio book.
Also bad editing, when you have a book requiring one speed for one reader and a faster speed for another.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AnonymousOfWales
- 15-06-21
Wonderful dramatisation!
Really enjoyed this - both voices were read by really excellent actors with appropriate accents. I suspect if one wasn't a fan of the Brontës, there are parts that might feel a bit over-long - I can sympathise with the original editors, who cut some of the length - but as a fan, I enjoyed every moment!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Angela
- 24-04-21
Good But a Bit Slow
This is a good story which is perhaps a bit too long in the telling. The basic premise is discovering the back story of the mysterious lady who comes to live at the remote Wildfell Hall, arousing interest and suspicion among her neighbours. A good window into country life and attitudes of the time (1820s).
It is performed by two narrators which works well apart from the fact that the male narrator reads excessively slowly and enunciates every word almost as if he were reading to an audience whose first language is not English.
I tried listening at a faster speed but, as I listen before dropping off to sleep, I found that was just a bit too fast. It may be the thing to do if listening during the day though.
Written by perhaps the least well known Brontë sister, this is definitely worth a listen if you like classic historic novels.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Enobarbus
- 06-11-18
A performance better forgotten
It's wonderful to be able to listen to the third Bronte sister's work. It has none of the genius of Emily's or Charlotte's writing but has its own fascination for students of the novel. It's very minor stuff.
Katy Carmichael does a reasonable job but Piers Wehner sounds like somebody reading from a manuscript scribbled in inscrutable handwriting: his delivery is halting and PAINFULLY slow. He makes Markham sound like a mentally challenged poltroon. The pages he's responsible for pass like a tedious goods train trundling over a level crossing: will it ever end? It's like listening to a book being broadcast in morse code. I have NO idea what dialects he thinks he's using but they don't conjure up the far north.
A distinctly odd production from the usually impeccable Naxos team!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- G
- 26-05-17
Great read, great narration
I enjoyed this novel - so well written, of course! The audio was very good. I like the tone of both readers. I also like that you have used two readers for the main characters.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Bal B.
- 17-07-17
Absolute bull crap
I hate this book I don't know why I used this credit. I regret it dearly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Benjamin Orchard
- 22-06-18
Best version available on audible
This is arguably the best version of Anne Bronte’s classic tale available in audiobook format. Most other versions feature narrators that are either too old to be convincing in voicing the narrators or who can’t get to grips with the various regional accents... Piers Wehner & Katy Carmichael bring a youthful passion and vigour to their delivery which serves to enliven the very formal 19th century prose, and in giving each character a distinctive voice, are meticulously correct in their depiction of the correct accents.
The story itself has survived down the centuries for a reason - Anne Brontë builds suspense well, her characters are psychologically complex, the dialogue contains many quotable gems and her descriptions of both the natural environment and man-made edifices are vividly evocative.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tad Davis
- 08-06-16
Beautiful
What a treat! The narrators are perfectly matched to the material, and the material itself is shot through with love and sunlight. Not to say there's no suffering: the novel contains a gripping account of a relationship gone horribly wrong, and of the ravages of alcohol and adultery. But for all that, it doesn't have the tinge of gothic horror that marks other works by members of the Brontë family. If there's a flaw, it's that the male narrator, Gilbert Markham, isn't half as mature as he seems to think he is. He's right when he says he doesn't deserve to be happy. But Helen Huntingdon DOES deserve it. She is a strong, determined woman, an utter contrast to the stereotypical Victorian heroine, and her story is a delight to hear.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Allyson
- 24-07-17
Long, But Not Disappointing
Having read some very disappointingly-ended stories by the Brontes, I was a bit leery of this long tome. I can see this as a drawn-out set of serially stories full enough of angst for any lonely soul. For myself, the narrator was better to listen to at 1.15 speed rather than the slower original. He has a good voice, but seemed a bit effete in the emphases he used in each sentence. Bronte is attempting to write from a male point of view but tends to give her protagonist a clearly female set of reactions. It is still entertaining if you can wade through all this.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- GiGi Macasaet
- 28-02-21
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The story as old as time as modern as today. The main difference? Words words words! 19th century author Anne Bronte used millions of words. 21st century authors have one word that cuts away so many. Can you guess what it is? I got sick of hearing it so I chose a classic. That word is f**k! By the end of the book I wanted to say “f**l it! Be done already.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chica Sueca
- 09-04-19
BEAUTIFULLY narrated!
I was skeptical about dual narrators. Wow! I was engrossed from start to finish. Beautiful narration of a great piece of literature.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MJD
- 08-09-17
Brilliant novel
Even though I was aware that the Bronte sisters were all writers, I had only ever read Charlotte. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, although at times it was a bit religious in tone. The story is written as a letter or journal in first person of both of the main characters. I definitely would recommend this if you are a fan of any of the Brontes or Jane Austen.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- ilene
- 22-02-17
Had to stop!
As much as I love the Bronte's- too much filler- I was totally immersed for the entire first quarter- after that it becomes so wordy and goes on so long it becomes extremely frustrating, I hope it ends well but I could not continue .
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison Frye
- 19-04-21
A Beautiful Story of Humanity
Slow burn story that makes you fall in love with the main charcters. Truly lovely.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Elin VanD
- 10-10-20
Good, in a Victorian way
Happy to have another Brontë book to listen to, though I must say it gets a bit tedious for our modern pacing. Could be cut by about 1/2. All the same, I enjoyed it. The writing itself is wonderful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Asenath
- 25-09-19
Wonderful
This is a beautifully executed performance, true to the coveted Oxford Clarendon edition of Anne Brontë’s unforgettable novel.