ROSSETTI

Evelyn Waugh's first book, published when he was only 25, is a gloriously gossipy and opinionated account of the bizarre and talented Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Holding no bars, Waugh allows his own tastes full scope. The listener may whoop with pure joy at this unusual freedom of thought. David Case seems to enjoy reading the book, though there is little dramatization. In the recent wave of biographies and novels about painters, this 1928 entry holds up as fresh as the dew on Pre-Raphaelite lilies and pale pink rose buds. B.H.B. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]