THE GATECRASHERS

Based on a WWII secret submarine action against the German battleship TIRPITZ, Fullerton’s sea story portrays British sailors speaking as English aristocracy, while enjoying tea and biscuits at battle stations. The plot is subtle, the romance cool, the action sparse, and the participants taciturn. The gravelly voiced Terry Wale adds spice to the tale by creating personalities for characters, using varying manners of speech, rhythm, and volume. However, his female falsetto holds for only a few words, before sliding into a low rasp heard from no woman. American listeners will find many word pronunciations foreign to their ear, but the narrator’s careful enunciation makes him easy to understand. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]