The Woman in Black

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Paapa Essiedu

A chilling new version of Susan Hill’s classic ghost story, narrated by Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, The Lazarus Project).

Eel Marsh house stands alone, surveying the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Mrs Alice Drablow lived here as a recluse. Now Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor with a London firm, is summoned to attend her funeral, unaware of the tragic and terrible secrets which lie behind the house's shuttered windows.

It is not until he glimpses a young woman at the funeral with a wasted face, dressed all in black, that a sense of profound unease begins to creep over him, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk about the woman in black or what happens whenever she is seen.

Kipps has to stay on in the lonely house, sorting out Mrs. Drablow's papers. The mist begins to enshroud it and the surrounding graveyard and the high tide cuts it off from the outside world....

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©1983 Susan Hill (P)2022 Audible, Ltd

Outstanding

Lovely gothic horror tale of a specter bent on vengeance. The narration, 3D audio, and music accompanying were absolutely fantastic. The narration, sound effects, and ambient music elevated this classic into so much more than a story. It felt as if you were right there with the protagonist. It amplified the sense of dread, terror, and horror to levels that I rarely feel in novels or other audiobooks. Audible absolutely hit a grand slam with this version of The Woman in Black.

Overly descriptive, but the ending was good

Perhaps I simply don’t like Susan Hill’s writing style, but I was not very impressed by this story.

I had already seen the movie, so I was naturally interested in the source material. I had also read and enjoyed the short story “Dolly” by Hill, so I wanted to try more of her work.
I was a little disappointed by this book. I found her style tediously descriptive. Instead of setting ambience and tone it frustrated me because I just wanted to hear the story. The story itself is compelling but the execution is muddy and slow, so that it felt like important details were buried in descriptions. The last hour and a half was the most active part of the story, but it felt like I had to slog through a lot of unnecessary words to get there.

The ending is intense and sad. I wish the whole book was as engaging as the ending.

The sound effects were cool but didn’t add enough to make the slower parts more interesting. The narrator was good. I’d be willing to listen to more of his narrations.

Great Listen for the Halloween Season!

Loved this Audible presentation! I listen on my work commute-some if it during darkness. I wasn’t scared, but it just had that “feeling” of the ghost world.

background noise covers narrative in places

great ghost story but several times, the sound effects in the background drowned out the narration.

Amazing

I loved the performance and the story was so well done. Very engaging! I definitely recommend that if you can listen to it in one go that is the best way to approach this book as it will maintain the drama.

Great Ghost Story

I loved it hated for it to end. The music made you feel like you were actually there.

I loved the sound production.

I know some people didn't like it, but to me, it brought the story to life, it immersed me into the story and the characters. I have not watched the movie so to me the story felt new.

Loved this story!

The story was so good!! Just the right amount of chilling-ness.. and the background ambiance made it all the more better for this story!! Well done!

A Must Listen

This is One of my absolute favorite stories and The Production sound is so brilliant

Beautifully gothic

This is a beautiful production with just the right amount of gothic horror. Great narrator - he gets you inside the head of the main character.