The Woman in White
by Wilkie Collins (Sampson Low, Son, & Co., 1860)
audiobook read by Roger Rees & Rosalyn Landor with John Lee & Judy Geeson (Blackstone, 2009)
A remarkably accessible novel given its historical remove. Collins crafts some truly memorable characters, and while the patriarchal disempowering of women is hard to stomach (making for an anxious, difficult read in the midsection), the plot undeniably makes good upon Hartright’s reintroduction.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (Dial Press, 2008)
audiobook read by Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, and Juliet Mills (Random House Audio, 2008)
An epistolary novel, rich in characterisation and engaging both for its historical content (recollections of the German occupation of Guernsey) and as a study in community and friendships. The audiobook is blessed with several different readers, which helps keep the characters distinct.