The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

By: Anne Brontë

Narrated by: Alex Jennings, Jenny Agutter

Exclusively from Audible

The story of a woman's struggle for independence from an abusive husband. Helen 'Graham' has returned to Wildfell Hall in flight from a disastrous marriage and to protect her young son from the influence of his father.

Exiled to the desolate moorland mansion, she adopts an assumed name and earns her living as a painter. Gilbert Markham, a local man intrigued by the beautiful young 'widow' offers his friendship but becomes distrustful when her reclusive behaviour sparks rumours and speculation. When she offers her diary for him to read only then does he discover the dark truth of her shocking past.

The second and last novel written by Anne Brontë, the youngest of the six Brontë children, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall deals with alcoholism, physical and emotional abuse, unhappy marriages and adultery. Anne's novels are distinctly different from that of her sisters, filled with gritty realism. After her death, Anne's sister, Charlotte, prevented its republication perhaps due to her belief that it was overly graphic and an 'entire mistake'.

Despite first being published in 1848, The Independent described it as a 'frighteningly up-to-date tale of single motherhood and wife-battering.' It is considered one of the more shocking of the Brontë stories and due to Helen's breaking of social convention and law holds firm as one of the first feminist novels.

Narrator Biography

Three-time Olivier Award winner actor Alex Jennings is known for portraying Prince Charles in The Queen (2006) as well as appearing in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Babel (2006) and The Lady in the Van (2015). His television work has included Cranford (2007), Silk (2011-2014), and Victoria (2016). He has narrated many audiobooks including Charlie Connelly's Attention All Shipping, which in 2008 was chosen as one of the top 40 audiobooks of all time.

Jenny Agutter began her acting career as a child in 1964's East of Sudan and is well known for appearing in three adaptations of The Railway Children. She starred in the critically acclaimed 1971 film Walkabout as well as receiving a string of Hollywood roles. She won an Emmy for her role in The Snow Goose (1971), as well as a BAFTA for her role in Equus (1997). More recently she has appeared in several television dramas, including Spooks (2002-2003), and Call the Midwife since 2012. She has performed in numerous theatre productions, including roles with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has also narrated audiobooks Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle and Jane Austen's Emma and featured in the Doctor Who audio dramas The Bride of Peladon and The Minister of Chance. In 2012 she was appointed OBE for her charity work.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc

Why didn't we get to read this one at school

What a treat to read this so late in life. As good as Shirley and these two are so less known and read by teenage girls not to mention being turned into movies. Loved the narrators.

Wonderful performance, but chapters are mislabeled

Overall, a wonderful performance and story. The one thing that irked me about this edition, however, was that the chapters are mislabeled. It made it quite difficult to keep track of where you were in the story and to set a timer for pausing.

highly recommended

This is an inspiring and beautifully written book and one I will probably re-read, as fresh today as when it was written over 150 years ago; English prose at it's height. The narration is as well superb. This ranks with Jane Eyre as one of my all-time favourites.

Well done

I enjoyed this recitation of Anne Bronte’s classic. I was a rapt listener and wholly relished the narrative.

My Favorite Bronte Story

I love this book. It’s my favorite Bronte book and possibly my favorite book overall. I thoroughly enjoyed this performance of it!

Good listen

I found the love story kept me on the edge of my seat, but the male reader whispered too much.

Completely enjoyable

This literary work was not only enjoyable but consuming for the reader in its character development and turn of the narrative. I will miss the characters and their stories. Thank you for an excellent read.

Best Brontë Book so far

I love Anne’s style of story telling. Straight to the point, not too frilly but also warm and relatable.

Brilliant and ahead of it's time!

An absolute must read (or listen to!). Bronte's language is eloquent, gorgeous, and at times profoundly biting. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions at her loquacious and grandiose insults (she can throw shade like no other). Many of the themes of the book are just as relevant today as they were in the 1840s, making the novel feel very contemporary. I wish I could say she was vastly ahead of her time (which of course, she was), but that also exposes the shameful lack of societal evolution in which we find ourselves today. The book is considered a feminist work, and was likely unprecedented and unparalleled during its time. It's uncensored dissection of a failed marriage, sadistic torment, addiction, deception, the effects of small town gossip, alcoholism, and domestic abuse, all within the setting of polite society, are brilliant and ever-relevant. It is unnervingly applicable to modern society, and a must read for anyone to properly understand the perspective of why women's rights are so critical to preserve.

The best audiobook of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

I've listened to multiple audiobooks of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and this one is by far the best. Both actors bring the characters to life. Take note, this audiobook is based off the 1st edition of the novel. If you are following along with the more widely printed 2nd edition, there will be quite a few paragraphs missing from this audiobook.