No Name

by Wilkie Collins Narrated by Nicholas Boulton, Rachel Atkins, David Rintoul, John Foley, Lucy Scott, Russell Bentley

Overview

Magdalen and Norah Vanstone have known only comfort and affluence for their entire lives. Orphaned suddenly following the unexpected deaths of their parents, the illegitimate sisters find themselves flung into the other extreme of living: their father had neglected to amend his will following their parents' recent marriage, leaving them with nothing, and their bitter, estranged uncle, the legal inheritor of the family fortune, mercilessly refuses them support. They have no money, no rights and no name. Norah, the elder of the two, looks for work as a governess and accepts her fate. Fiery and headstrong Magdalen, however, does not. She vows revenge and schemes a series of traps to recover the fortune, no matter the cost...

Editorial Reviews

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Any fiction fan should listen to at least one Victorian novel every year. More the better if the primary narrator is the talented Nicholas Boulton, whose ability to mimic the elite and humble, and capture their cadence and tone is unrivaled. His subtle inflections shape this long but satisfying performance. The stalwart cast transports listeners to 1840s London and the countryside. Like his friend Dickens, Collins writes in torrents of descriptive prose and crafts a clever plot. Two orphaned heroines, Magdalen and Nora Vanstone, are central to the story, which concerns illegitimacy. The novel is filled with unforgettable characters; especially memorable are Horatio Wragge (Rag), an endearing scoundrel, and his long-suffering giantess wife, who figure prominently. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

"A relatively unknown masterpiece." —the Times


"Magdalen, a woman who resists the Victorian idea of the angel in the house and proves to be unscrupulous in her fight for survival against poverty and prejudice, employing disguise and deceit to win back what she believes is rightfully hers." —Observer


"Dizzyingly readable, with a feminist anti-heroine up to all sorts of deception and skulduggery, cheered along by the reader every step of the way." —Mail on Sunday


"Two dispossessed sisters fight for their inheritance, the narrative snaking compellingly around Victorian Britain." —Sunday Times


"Collins explores the iniquity of Victorian morality by damning the future of his resourceful heroine at an early stage with the discovery of her own illegitimacy. Deprived of her inheritance and even her name, Magdalen Vanstone sets out with frightening courage to reestablish her fortune and reputation. The ingenuity and guile she employs to achieve her end makes her a rare figure in Victorian literature and one of Collins' most subversive characters." —the Times

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Any fiction fan should listen to at least one Victorian novel every year. More the better if the primary narrator is the talented Nicholas Boulton, whose ability to mimic the elite and humble, and capture their cadence and tone is unrivaled. His subtle inflections shape this long but satisfying performance. The stalwart cast transports listeners to 1840s London and the countryside. Like his friend Dickens, Collins writes in torrents of descriptive prose and crafts a clever plot. Two orphaned heroines, Magdalen and Nora Vanstone, are central to the story, which concerns illegitimacy. The novel is filled with unforgettable characters; especially memorable are Horatio Wragge (Rag), an endearing scoundrel, and his long-suffering giantess wife, who figure prominently. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173205537
Publisher:	Naxos Audiobooks
Publication date:	04/01/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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