The Woman in WhiteThe Woman in White
Score Classic
What it's about
Walking home late at night near London, Walter Hartright, a young drawing teacher, meets a mysterious woman dressed all in white, who has escaped from an asylum. Soon after, he takes a job teaching two half-sisters, the gentle Laura Fairlie and the clever Marian Halcombe, and falls for Laura, who is promised to the sinister Sir Percival Glyde. Laura looks strangely like the woman in white.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is one of the first great mystery novels. Count Fosco is one of the great villains, and Marian one of the great heroines.
You'll love it if you liked
Rebecca
Fingersmith
The Hound of the BaskervillesGood to know
It's long and told through several narrators' accounts, like evidence in a trial.
By the numbers
- Readers48 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller42 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #298 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #514 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1795 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping, Moving, Uplifting
More by Wilkie Collins
If you like this, read next
Lonesome Dove
Pride and Prejudice
The Pillars of the Earth
The Name of the Rose
The Age of Innocence
Anna KareninaExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is The Woman in White worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is one of the first great mystery novels. It ranks #1,795 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Woman in White about?
Walking home late at night near London, Walter Hartright, a young drawing teacher, meets a mysterious woman dressed all in white, who has escaped from an asylum. Soon after, he takes a job teaching two half-sisters, the gentle Laura Fairlie and the clever Marian Halcombe, and falls for Laura, who is promised to the sinister Sir Percival Glyde. Laura looks strangely like the woman in white.
How long does it take to read The Woman in White?
About 18 hours (721 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Woman in White?
If you liked it, try Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Fingersmith by Sarah Waters or The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.