THE KNOWN WORLD

This remarkable novel, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and short-listed for the National Book Award, deserves all the acclaim it has won and then some, especially in this flawless rendition. The story is set in antebellum Virginia, in the morally complex world of prosperous free blacks who aspire to all the liberties of white citizenship, including owning slaves. Kevin Free’s narration is so accomplished that when a woman character speaks, you utterly forget that she does it through a man’s voice. He gives each character color, personality, and heft, without ever vamping or straining for effect. The novel bears comparison with Trollope and Faulkner, and Kevin Free’s performance of it is in the same league. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]