Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Little Stranger
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
The Little Stranger
Buy Now for £16.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
Exclusive to download: includes an interview with Sarah Waters giving an insight into the story behind The Little Stranger.
A ghost story from one of Britain's finest and best loved writers. After her award-winning trilogy of Victorian novels, Sarah Waters turned to the 1940s and wrote The Night Watch, a tender and tragic novel set against the backdrop of wartime Britain. Short-listed for both the Orange and the Man Booker, it went straight to number one in the best-seller chart.
In a dusty postwar summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his.
Prepare yourself. From this wonderful writer who continues to astonish us, now comes a chilling ghost story.
2010, Orange Prize, Long-listed
2009, Man Booker Prize, Short-listed
2011, IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Long-listed
2007, James Tait Black – Fiction, Short-listed
Listeners also enjoyed...
![The Shifting Fog [also published under the alternate title The House at Riverton] cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Q2blgTvtL._SL240_.jpg)
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Little Stranger
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Adele
- 10-08-12
Chilling, but the end left a little to be desired
I found Sarah Water's ghost story send quite a few, delicious chills down my spine, and it was beautifully narrated by Simon Vance. It was easy to imagine Hundreds Hall as a place of horror and demise, and the characters surrounding it were just about perfect -all seeming suspiciously ill at ease in one way or another. I couldn't help feeling quite sorry for Dr. Faraday, who deserved better than ending tangled up in a family troubled by a haunted past. And this leads to why I felt somewhat let down at the very end -there simply was no "closure" when it was all over, not for our hero, nor for me as the listener. But overall, a very good story, which I might listen to again!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Littleblue
- 05-01-21
Not a usual Sarah Waters book
Slightly disappointed with this book from SW. not the usual twists and does not keep you gripped. Was constantly waiting for the twist at the end but none came. Shame.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Richard
- 02-04-12
Another great choice
A great listen - perhaps a little long-winded but a great listen. I will definitely go on to give Sarah Waters' other books a try.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- megan
- 16-03-18
BORING
Would you consider the audio edition of The Little Stranger to be better than the print version?
yes it is better as an audio book.
Would you ever listen to anything by Sarah Waters again?
No, i personally find Sarah Waters boring and some of her descriptions very odd.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
They're all much of the same.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
'try not to fall asleep'
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Louise
- 30-10-18
Excellent book
I have read the book, listened to the audiobook and now I want to watch the film. This is a superb reading of a truly brilliant book.
Once again though, no-one seems to have bothered prooflistening and there is an error at chapter 9.
Audible, please listen to these books before you release them. We wouldn’t expect this in a printed book but errors keep appearing in my audiobooks.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-06-24
Slightly odd / a little frustrating
Towards the end I thought the Dr was deeply irritating! So full of ‘she doesn’t know her own mind’ etc… which I don’t doubt was right for the time but irritating nonetheless.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- carolbridgepics
- 19-07-09
The Little Stranger
I bought this because I have previously enjoyed Sarah Water's books. However this book, although well written and well read, is difficult to enjoy because it lacks humour and happiness. Its characters are not particularly likeable and the story charts a series of tragic and unhappy events with no light intervals. This is undoubtedly high quality literature but not a pleasure giving read - for me anyway.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura Stilwell
- 06-06-21
Absolutely brilliant
The most extraordinary listening experience I've had. An astonishing novel and a superb narration. I feel bereft to have finished it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-03-16
Brilliantly Unsettling
What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?
Fantastic, I really loved his narration. Really easy to listen to. He was spot on with the characters and building tension. Great job
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I listened to it all in one go. Things were getting pretty spooky around 3am. I had to turn my lights back on!!!! It definitely made me cry in places. I got really involved with the characters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Gillian
- 31-03-10
Excellent
This is the first book by Sarah Waters I have read and did not regret buying it! Really enjoyable with a slightly unique approach to a ghost story. Simon Vance did an excellent job as the narrator and effectively created the right atmoshphere for a ghost story and portrayed the setting very well. Would highly recommend this book to anyone.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!