Product Description

Proud and solitary, El Marsh House surveys the windswept reaches of the salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Arther Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, the house's sole inhabitant, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. It is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8973 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-01
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio CD
• 3 pages

From the Publisher
THE WOMAN IN BLACK was first published in 1983 and has sold more than a million copies worldwide.
The stage play, adapted from the book by Stephen Mallatratt, was first produced in 1988 and has been running in London`s West End for 17 years. It has been produced in almost every country in the world and seen by over 5 million people worldwide.

From the Inside Flap
THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Eel Marsh house stands alone, surveying the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Once, 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 with a wasted face, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a sense of profound unease begins to creep over him and take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk about the woman in black or what happens whenever she is seen.
And Kipps has to stay on in the lonely house, sorting out Mrs Drablow`s papers, when the mist begins to enshroud both it and its surrounding graveyard and the high tide cuts it off from the world beyond….

About the Author
SUSAN HILL has been one of the UK's foremost and best loved novelists for forty years. Her literary fiction has won the Whitbread, John Llewellyn Rhys and Somerset Maugham Prizes and been shortlisted for the Booker. Her novels I'M THE KING OF THE CASTLE, THE WOMAN IN BLACK and STRANGE MEETING have been set texts for GCSE, A and AS Level for many years. The play adapted from her bestselling ghost story THE WOMAN IN BLACK has been running in London's West End for 18 years and around the world. Her crime trilogy, THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN, THE PURE IN HEART and THE RISK OF DARKNESS, featuring DCI SIMON SERRAILLER have been high on the bestseller lists in the last three years.

Customer Reviews

A great recording of a classic spine-chiller.
A really excellent recording of a classic ghost story. Paul Ansdell reads this chilling novel extremely well, the mounting suspense slowly building throughout. It's worth listening to even if you've already read the book, or seen the play, and a must if you haven't!

LISTEN TO IT IN THE DARK !
This is great if you tuck yourself up and turn the lights out.. maybe by a nice fire. I have read the book and seen the play adapted from it and this is another way of enjoying a really scary and well written ghost story. The reader doesn`t try and do too much... no shivery voices, nothing over-=done and thank goodness no spooky sound effects. But his quiet tone begins to get under your skin and the tension mounts bit by bit. not long before you are looking over your shoulder. It would make a great Christmas present for a family to listen to over the holiday.

A tale of insane malice and vengeance
The Woman in Black has to be one of the darkest and most atmospheric ghost stories I've listened to or read. A young solicitor travels north by train to attend a client's funeral and sort out her papers, happy to escape a choking London smog. At first all goes well. He loves the wide open, flat countryside and marshes and is fascinated by the austere, isolated house that can only be reached by a causeway at low tide. Before long however, he sees and hears things that shake him to the core. Susan Hill's powers of description are impressive. The stinking peasouper in London, the beautiful, wide open landscapes and skies around Crythin Gifford, the sea frets and storms around Eel Marsh House, the terrifying spectre of the woman in black and her effect on the people she haunts, are all described so that you only need to close your eyes to imagine you're there. Paul Ansdell makes an excellent job of this unabridged audiobook reading. There are 4 DVDs in the case (not 5 as is currently stated in the Amazon details above).

There are several ways to enjoy this story. I've also heard it read on BBC Digital Radio 7 by a different reader who was also very good and I've read the book. For some time I've been looking for a DVD of the 1989 film that has had some extremely positive reviews, but for some reason it only seems to be available second-hand in region 1 format and since I only have a region 2 DVD player, I'll have to wait for Amazon or some other enterprising vendor to stock it. In any case, this audiobook is one of my favourites and I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a good chiller.