The Woman in White

Title: The Woman in White

Author: Wilkie Collns

Narrator: Ian Holme

Publisher: AudioGo, 2007, first published in 1860

Format: 20 compac discs, 24 hours 37 minutes

Genre: classic

Obtained: library




Summary: Walter Hartright, an art teacher, is preparing to travel to Limmeridge House in Cumberland where he has been hired to teach two young women, Laura Fairlie and Marian Holcombe.  Before he leaves, he encounters a woman, dressed all in white, who is lost.  He assists her, and later finds out that she has escaped from an asylum.  He is somewhat haunted by this woman who is connected to Limmeridge house.  She spent the best years of her life there as a child and remembers it fondly.  What happens when the woman in white reappears in Cumberland?

Thoughts: I LOVED this book.  It just seemed to have everything- amazing characters, intriguing setting, engaging plot, romance, humor, mystery, power struggles, secrets, lies, and surprising twists.  The story was told by multiple narrators, so that the reader got pertinent parts of the story directly from the eyewitnesses, similar to a court hearing.  This was an interesting way to present the story, but it also enabled the author to show the reader extensive details of the characters personalities. The characters were, well, weird.  The villain in the story was a master of manipulation and lies. He was intelligent and charming, showy and conceited, yet creepy and menacing- pure evil.  There was a hypochondriac uncle that was annoying, yet funny.  Marian was an intelligent, masculine, ugly female.  Laura was beautiful, feminine, and unintelligent.  These are just a few examples.  All the characters were odd and quirky.

The setting was mid-19th century, England - perfect for a mystery.  Some of the story took place at Limmeridge House, a beautiful Victorian mansion, while most of the darker part of the story enfolded at Blackwater Park which was more Gothic.  The reader traveled all over, including both the country and the city.

The plot itself encompassed so much.  The story was detailed and started off by having the reader get to know the players in the story.  The story did not bog down, but kept moving forward with the pace picking up a bit in the middle and at the end.  The main themes that stood out for me were the trouble that money can cause, how the justice system does not always help people, and how unfair the law was to women at the time this story took place.

The author's style of writing is hard to describe. He writes with a different style for each narrator which goes along with their personality.  The constants are that all the writing is detailed and easy to follow.  Also, the author gets to emotions, and keeps the reader engaged.  Some of the writing is flowery and romantic.  Other parts of the writing are harsh and simple.  The feel of the complete work was similar to that of Tara Road by Maeve Binchy (one of my favorite books) in that it felt full and complete.  I felt like I got everything and when I got to the end, I didn't want to leave the characters.

The narrator of this particular audio book was incredible.  He portrayed the characters by slightly changing his voice for each, but somehow bringing them to life.  He added to the feelings in the book- romantic, creepy, joyous, haunting, etc...  He read at a perfect pace and spoke clearly no matter the dialogue.

This is a great book for when you have time to fully enjoy it, not for when you want a quick read.  It is a book you immerse yourself into.  It would be a great book for a book club because there are so many things to discuss about this elaborate book, but make sure there is plenty of time to complete it.


                                                

Company: The Whistling Kettle

Tea: Scottish Breakfast

Obtained: purchased



I purchased the Breakfast Sampler from The Whistling Kettle.  It came in a colorful gift box (seen in the picture).  There were 6 resealable bags with different tea samples of "robust, full-bodied" teas in the box.  Today I tried the Scottish Breakfast tea.  This, according to the bag, is a "blend of black tea from India, Kenya, and China".  I put 2 1/2 teaspoons of the long black leaves in my teapot.  The leaves had a sweet, woodsy scent.  I poured water that had been boiled over the leaves and let this steep for 4 minutes.  The liquid was a dark reddish brown and had a light sweet, woodsy scent.  The taste was malty with a bit of sweetness to it.  It was full-bodied.  The website states this tea has a medium caffeine content.  This is a great tea to have with a hearty breakfast.