The Guilty River
Wilkie Collins
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
After his father’s death Gerard Roylake returns from Germany to take up his inheritance at Trimley Deen. On one evening he meets his childhood friend, Cristel Toller. They fall in love, but there is a crux. A deaf man, called The Lodger is obsessed with Cristel. He invites Gerard to tea with evil intentions… and Gerard accepts the invitation.
The book is written in the first person and tells the story from Gerard's point of view. (Summary by Diana Majlinger)
Additional proof-listening by Betty M. (4 hr 27 min)
Chapters
01 - On the Way to the River | 13:27 | Read by Ernst Pattynama |
02 - The River Introduces Us | 12:05 | Read by Nadine Eckert-Boulet |
03 - He Shows Himself | 6:26 | Read by Diana Majlinger |
04 - He Explains Himself | 7:28 | Read by scrawl |
05 - He Betrays Himself | 25:51 | Read by scrawl |
06 - The Return of the Portfolio | 27:31 | Read by Kathleen Costa |
07 - The Best Society | 10:18 | Read by scrawl |
08 - The Deaf Lodger | 16:45 | Read by scrawl |
09 - Mrs. Roylake's Game: First Move | 10:59 | Read by Nadine Eckert-Boulet |
10 - Warned! | 9:04 | Read by Nadine Eckert-Boulet |
11 - Warned Again! | 9:50 | Read by Nadine Eckert-Boulet |
12 - Warned for the Last Time! | 21:37 | Read by Kathleen Costa |
13 - The Claret Jug | 26:01 | Read by Barbara Derksen |
14 - Gloody Settles the Account | 10:37 | Read by Barbara Derksen |
15 - The Miller's Hospitality | 33:18 | Read by Barbara Derksen |
16 - Bribery and Corruption | 9:08 | Read by Nadine Eckert-Boulet |
17 - Utter Failure | 7:02 | Read by Nadine Eckert-Boulet |
18 - The Mistress of Trimley Deen | 10:26 | Read by Nadine Eckert-Boulet |
Reviews
Pretty good book
mikezane
This is a neat boy meets girl story with a wicked stranger twist to it. It is not your usual 'mystery' but there are plenty of intense scenes in it. One word of note - some of the chapters have a lot of background noise, and I spent a lot of time adjusting my equalizer and my volume control. There was no consistency - the issues were as varied as the readers. Overall, the story is good, but the reading does detract from it a bit.
Just ok
benefitsingers
This is the third Wilkie Collins novel I have listened to. It was very different from The Woman and White and the Mystery in Venice stories. I can't say I loved the book, but I cannot say I hated it either, thus my rating of a 3. The narration was also just okay. Not terrible but not great either. The story itself is rather short so if you are a die hard Wilkie Collins fan then it would be okay and really was the only reason I stayed with it until the end. A word of caution to narrators overacting with voice work is really not necessary. If you are not a native British speaker please do not try to do a British accent. One narrator did this and was really atrocious.
fun story hurried ending
Katra Stubblefield
I have read at least 10 stories by this author and I found this one fascinating in the beginning. Just when the end was going to be resolved and I was excited it ended! I was shocked as all of the other books had a wonderful ending. It seems almost as if he was hurried or decided to leave it unfinished. One can gather by inference the ending yet I craved the author's regular explanation and finishing touch. Some of the readers lacked experience in how to pronounce things yet overall it was tolerable . If you are a fan of this author it is worth listening to.
A LibriVox Listener
The narration by non- English speakers sometimes becomes unbearable. The readings by volunteers should be vetted. Mispronounced words make it difficult to understand and detract from the plot. Nadine (who is the reader in other WC novels) should hear herself and withdraw.
The Guilty River
Julia
mystery solved I'm hating those social norms. the clever interaction with the deaf worked. I guess I always wish 1st person narratives be read by the right sex.
NOT HIS BEST
Avid Listener
I feel as though WK wrote the first 16 chapters and the last 2 were written by the Reader's Digest.
Good
Frank Bowden
Not the Woman in White or The Moonstone but it did keep my interest and the readers were good.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN ONE NARRATOR BOOK
Jessie
LOVED THE STORY LINE BUT MULTIPLE READERS WAS NOT GOOD