THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE

Hardy's classic unfolds slowly and atmospherically, guided inexorably toward its conclusion by a master storyteller. Narrator Patrick Tull would seem to be a great choice, given his gravelly British accent and his excellent character voices. His effort falls short, though, because he speaks too quickly and in too low a register for listeners to understand him. Part of this might be a technical issue; the tapes seem to have been recorded at a very low volume, so increasing the volume also increases the tape's hiss. Tull, though, is responsible for being too conversational and too concerned with getting the accents right, rather than focusing on diction. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]