THE LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE

This short hagiography for children is an excellent example of those late nineteenth-century works that give us Lee as "the marble man": someone with the appearance of humanity, but not really human. Lee was a man of noble character who performed great deeds and whose life is a fine example for youth. However, one should take much of the history of this work with a grain of salt. The listener may be struck by how much of the work is devoted to Lee's tenure as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee College). Lloyd James does a fine job in this production. His voice is calm, and his delivery self-controlled, much like Lee himself. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 03]