FIRST LOVE

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini gives Turgenev's classic novella a wonderfully expressive reading of the Garnett translation. "First Love," first published in 1860, is an older man's recollection of an adolescent crush he had on a neighboring, and older, princess. The novella splendidly describes youthful infatuation and has an unexpected ending that breaks the young man's heart. The listener definitely feels the young man's pain. For those who are familiar with Turgenev's works, at least it doesn't end like "Mumu." Ballerini is quite expressive, and his delivery conveys some of the breathlessness of the adolescent. His baritone gives subtly different voices to the several characters in the story and is just as skilled in reading the narrative. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2021]