ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, Vol 1 1884-1933

Packed with intriguing facts and detail, this volume focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt's life before her husband's election to the presidency. Cook's voice is level, her pronunciation sometimes odd and her pace a bit irregular. However, her passion for her topic is infectious. She reads the text as though delivering it from a podium and succeeds in getting the listener to lean forward in anticipation. An unusual aspect of this abridgment is that Cook informs the reader about what material is being skipped over. The abridgment retains the logic of the longer text but gives it a stream-of-consciousness flow, making the chapter breaks irrelevant. E.S.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 93]