THE HOUR OF FATE Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism

Berfield's detailed account of an important trust-busting case and Teddy Roosevelt's dealings with the powerful financier behind it, J.P. Morgan, gets a mostly clear but often flawed narration by Jennifer Woodward. Her voice is nasal and somewhat scratchy, but she works hard to give the narration expression and renders, mostly, an intelligent sense of the text, using tone and emphasis. Occasionally, however, perhaps through trying too hard, she sometimes misplaces emphasis or gives words in phrases the wrong accent, and, through misunderstanding or lack of preparation, gives some misreadings and surprising mispronunciations. The basic job gets done, and more often than not the sense of the book is conveyed clearly and expressively, but there are many bumps along the way. W.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2020]