Man and Wife


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.3 stars; 59 reviews)

This 1870 novel by Wilkie Collins centers around a peculiarity of Scottish law of that time, according to which any man and woman 'who were legally entitled to marry and who asserted that they were married before witnesses, or in writing, were regarded in Scotland as being married in law.' This strange law causes the characters Arnold and Geoffrey both possibly accidentally marrying Anne, though one is engaged to another woman and the other is searching for a more wealthy wife to accommodate his lifestyle. In these circumstances, Anne needs to catch an actual husband in order to save her reputation... - Summary by Carolin and Wikipedia (24 hr 18 min)

Chapters

Prologue - The Irish Marriage - Part the First, part 1 21:05 Read by corin2of7
Prologue - The Irish Marriage - Part the First, part 2 34:41 Read by corin2of7
Prologue - The Irish Marriage - Part the Second 24:32 Read by corin2of7
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the First 6:39 Read by corin2of7
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the Second 23:02 Read by corin2of7
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the Third 22:19 Read by Tony Foster
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the Fourth 19:56 Read by Tony Foster
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the Fifth 10:06 Read by Tony Foster
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the Sixth 26:18 Read by Tony Foster
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the Seventh 15:51 Read by Tony Foster
First Scene - The Summer House - Chapter the Eighth 23:26 Read by Tony Foster
Second Scene - The Inn - Chapter the Ninth 32:12 Read by John Trevithick
Second Scene - The Inn - Chapter the Tenth 20:00 Read by John Trevithick
Second Scene - The Inn - Chapter the Eleventh 10:56 Read by John Trevithick
Second Scene - The Inn - Chapter the Twelfth 25:43 Read by John Trevithick
Second Scene - The Inn - Chapter the Thirteenth 26:19 Read by John Trevithick
Third Scene - London - Chapter the Fourteenth 10:56 Read by Saina
Third Scene - London - Chapter the Fifteenth 13:21 Read by Linda Andrus
Third Scene - London - Chapter the Sixteenth 18:22 Read by ToddHW
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Seventeenth 15:00 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Eighteenth 29:54 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Nineteenth 41:55 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twentieth 43:26 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-First, part 1 19:57 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-First, part 2 30:09 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-Second 38:51 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-Third 40:10 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-Fourth 19:38 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-Fifth 20:02 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-Sixth 16:26 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-Seventh 29:13 Read by shihping
Fourth Scene - Windygates - Chapter the Twenty-Eigth 15:07 Read by shihping
Fifth Scene - Glasgow - Chapter the Twenty-Ninth 14:19 Read by ToddHW
Fifth Scene - Glasgow - Chapter the Thirtieth 9:27 Read by Michelle Tan
Sixth Scene - Swanhaven Lodge - Chapter the Thirty-First, part 1 18:16 Read by Denise Nordell
Sixth Scene - Swanhaven Lodge - Chapter the Thirty-First, part 2 13:18 Read by Denise Nordell
Sixth Scene - Swanhaven Lodge - Chapter the Thirty-Second 22:43 Read by Joe Selah
Sixth Scene - Swanhaven Lodge - Chapter the Thirty-Third 18:05 Read by Lynne T
Seventh Scene - Ham Farm - Chapter the Thirty-Fourth 16:14 Read by Maria Ana Montalvo
Seventh Scene - Ham Farm - Chapter the Thirty-Fifth 7:55 Read by Linda Andrus
Seventh Scene - Ham Farm - Chapter the Thirty-Sixth 32:29 Read by Oxenhandler
Seventh Scene - Ham Farm - Chapter the Thirty-Seventh 19:44 Read by Joe Selah
Seventh Scene - Ham Farm - Chapter the Thirty-Eighth 23:03 Read by Saina
Eighth Scene - The Pantry - Chapter the Thirty-Ninth 16:59 Read by Joe Selah
Ninth Scene - The Music-Room - Chapter the Fourtieth, part 1 16:11 Read by Rosie
Ninth Scene - The Music-Room - Chapter the Fortieth, part 2 23:03 Read by Rosie
Tenth Scene - The Bedroom - Chapter the Forty-First, part 1 18:41 Read by ToddHW
Tenth Scene - The Bedroom - Chapter the Forty-First, part 2 20:17 Read by ToddHW
Eleventh Scene - Sir Patrick's house - Chapter the Forty-Second 8:28 Read by kgon
Eleventh Scene - Sir Patrick's house - Chapter the Forty-Third 19:33 Read by kgon
Twelfth Scene - Drury Lane - Chapter the Forty-Fourth 24:50 Read by Joe Selah
Thirteenth Scene - Fulham - Chapter the Forty-Fifth 46:25 Read by Linda Andrus
Fourteenth Scene - Portland Place - Chapter the Forty-Sixth, part 1 31:44 Read by Sheila
Fourteenth Scene - Portland Place - Chapter the Forty-Sixth, part 2 30:52 Read by MaryAnn
Fifteenth Scene - Holchester House - Chapter the Forty-Seventh 11:46 Read by Joe Selah
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Forty-Eighth 7:29 Read by Saina
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Forty-Ninth 20:57 Read by Joe Selah
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fiftieth 16:06 Read by Michele Eaton
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-First 14:11 Read by Michele Eaton
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Second 19:05 Read by Lynne T
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Third 19:45 Read by Lynne T
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Fourth, part 1 29:10 Read by Anna Simon
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Fourth, part 2 31:09 Read by Anna Simon
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Fifth, part 1 15:42 Read by Lynne T
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Fifth, part 2 23:14 Read by Lynne T
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Sixth 6:40 Read by Diana Schmidt
Sixteenth Scene - Salt Patch - Chapter the Fifty-Seven 33:11 Read by shihping
Epilogue 11:31 Read by Lynne T

Reviews

READER IMPROVEMENT


(3 stars)

Please can I recommend that SanaGadani does not continue to read these audio books unless she takes lessons in diction and how to phrase and pause so as to make the story intelligible. A little humility in learning the art of speaking out loud in readings in a foreign language, in this case English, must surely benefit the reader/listener and herself as she seems to know the language well but pronounces it with unclear diction and occasional mispronunciation, and phrases her reading like a running stream without the necessary pauses between clauses and at full stops. As she reads now it is distressing to the reader who loses the meaning therefore the subtle twists and turns of Wilkie Collins narrative which so relies on language. She has two chapters which are crucial to the plot and in both cases her indistinct speech and lack of phrasing has caused confusion and irritation. I would like to thank her for her efforts and dedication to these books but also encourage her to make some improvements before reading again.

agree with review—Reader improvement


(3.5 stars)

I love the book but the reader as pointed out by others takes away from the flow of the book. When she reads I’m at a total loss of the story line. I find myself zoning out and praying for her to finish. Again I love all of Wilkie Collins books

SPOILERS


(1 stars)

I absolutely judged the book by it's cover & thought I was reaching to a light & enjoyable read. THE MISTAKES WE MAKE DAILY.... This book is slow, dreadful and unnecessary detailed. I assume this was normal back in the day, but I was exhausted listening to the damn thing. The story is beautiful, of course we get the happy ending but, OMG! Every step has a massive divination of the main plot, we listen to what it felt like 20 readers. Most of them can't say the bad guys name. Or use voices so completely dissimilar to their "colleagues" that it's was a trial. I have myself to blame for the 2 days headache, but I can't drop a book, I gotta know the end & at some point I was too invested. But seriously EVERYTHING that could or couldn't go wrong went above & beyond wrong. The claimed marriage of two people who had no inclination to marry. The inability of the lover to let his lady know the truth. The uncle who'd seen how this will affect everyone but kept quiet. Too many things to mention.... Exhausting.

Beautiful sisterhood!


(5 stars)

The Scottish marriage of law makes this story so intricately interesting. Ann Silvester sacrificed her life for her beloved friend. Declaring her secret and accidental by law marriage (which used to be something she always dreamed of) to the man who turned out to be a liar and opportunist. She declared the marriage in a court, to safe her bestfriend's marriage. She then lived her horrible marriage life, and almost got murdered by her husband. It's a good thing that this story has a happy ending. I always love Wilkie Collins.

Loved It


(4 stars)

Loved it as with WK’s other books. But I’m inclined to agree with the other listeners. While I do appreciate them, some are hard to understand and therefore interrupt the flow. One reader in particular needs to slow down. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

BRAVO BRAVO


(5 stars)

WK strikes again. He always weaves a convoluted web and makes the reader agonize to the very end before resolving the drama. Never has he made us wait so long as on this occasion. And never has the ending been sweeter--two words.

agree on reader


(4 stars)

Please apply higher standards to the readers. One was so unintelligible that I had to skip her chapters. The novel was unusual and interesting- makes you appreciate the laws today!

Madterful


(5 stars)

Th is my first novel by Collins. The plot was thick, the words enticing, the suspense powerful till the very end! A superb read. I can't wait to read more (: