LAST SUMMER IN THE CITY

Narrator Mark Meadows's commanding baritone maintains the listener's attention from Andre Aciman's detailed introduction to the final lines of Gianfranco Calligarich's novel. This "forgotten classic of Italian literature" explores 1970s Italian ennui. Leo and his friend, Graziano, know something's wrong with the way they're living. They realize it's time to change their la dolce vita lifestyle of too much booze and casual sex . . . but they drift on. Then Leo meets Arianna, whose mood swings and mercurial behaviors confuse and frustrate him. Meadows is especially strong when delivering Leo's aimlessness and soul-deadening inertia. With his subtly nuanced performance, Meadows makes these unlikable, disaffected characters seem real. His spot-on delivery of Calligarich's lush images keeps the listening worthwhile. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2021]