A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Charles Dickens's novel about the French Revolution is a bit daunting to listen to. Dickens develops several plot lines as he examines the clashes between justice and human suffering in France and England. However, David Butler's reading makes the novel accessible. Each of the many characters is individualized; listeners can tell their class origins from Butler's shift in accent alone. Equally important, Butler can handle the extended descriptions and rolling rhythms that make up Dickens's style. Listen to this and you'll hear a great story retold by a master storyteller who knows when to pause, how to deliver rhetorical repetitions, and when to intensify his delivery for heightened emotion. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]