THE NEXT BIG THING

Award-winning British author Anita Brookner is known for her intelligent novels, character-driven stories that focus on the inner lives of apparently placid people whose most dramatic action may be inaction. In this one a 73-year-old man who has lived a quiet life as a bookseller considers what to do with the time he has left. Travel? Propose marriage to a friend he hasn't seen in thirty years? Move? But where? While exquisite, Brookner's studied, reflective style could be deadly in the hands of a less talented narrator. Stephen Thorne evokes Brookner's measured writing while modifying his pace and rhythm to color the story. And he enlivens the characters with a judicious mix of accents and verbal mannerisms. An impressive performance and an interesting listen. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]