- Who is it for?
- Ages 10–14
- How long is it?
- 30 min
- What does it include?
- Synced read-along and a quiz
- What does it cost?
- Premium access in Emma's Library
About this audiobook
Drawing teacher Walter Hartright encounters a distressed woman dressed in white on a dark road to London, later learning she escaped an asylum. Walter takes a job tutoring the wealthy Laura Fairlie and her sharp half-sister, Marian Halcombe, falling in love with Laura, who bears a striking resemblance to the woman in white, Anne Catherick. Laura is forced to marry the debt-ridden Sir Percival Glyde, who, aided by the brilliant and sinister Count Fosco, schemes to steal her fortune. When Laura refuses to sign away her wealth, Glyde and Fosco orchestrate a cruel plot: they swap Laura and the terminally ill Anne Catherick, letting Anne die as 'Laura' while locking the real Laura in an asylum under Anne's name. Marian rescues Laura from the asylum, and together with Walter, they live in hiding to prove Laura's identity. Walter uncovers Glyde's secret—he forged his parents' marriage certificate to inherit his estate—and Glyde dies in a church fire trying to destroy the evidence. Walter then forces Count Fosco to write a full confession before Fosco is killed by an Italian secret society. Laura's identity and inheritance are restored, and she marries Walter.
Why it's worth a listen
Step into a fog-shrouded Victorian world where a chance encounter on a dark road unravels a sinister conspiracy of greed and stolen identity. You will follow the courageous Marian Halcombe and the artist Walter Hartright as they fight to rescue the gentle Laura Fairlie from a living nightmare. This gripping tale of suspense exposes the vulnerability of women under Victorian law and the triumph of devotion over systemic cruelty.
What listeners will learn
Subjects: literature, storytelling, historical imagination.
- character
- setting
- conflict
- choice
- consequence
- theme
- retelling
- woman
- white
- classic
Questions for after listening
- Retell the central conflict in order.
- Name one important choice and what happened because of it.
- How did the setting or tradition shape the story?
A question to keep
To what extent does a society's legal and social structure protect the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable and voiceless?
Chapters
- The Woman on the Road
- The Shadows of Limmeridge
- The Trap of Blackwater Park
- The Cruelest Exchange
- The Secret of the Register
- A Question to Keep
Editorial review
Quality reviewed · 98/100 on . Certificate EL-27BE-DCD5 is bound to the exact narrated script.
The review checks factual care, audience fit, teaching quality, structure, tone and source honesty. Read the editorial standards.
Published 2026-07-13 · Updated
