AMERICAN RHAPSODY

[Editor’s Note: The following is a combined review with the unabridged AMERICAN RHAPSODY.] -- This audiobook defies category and convention. It is part journalism and part autobiography. Eszterhas describes his own political development and creates some fictional monologues by several contemporary political figures. Eszterhas reads the nonfiction portions and, for a non-actor, does reasonably well. His gravelly voice is sometimes flat, but his pace is excellent, and in many places his reading displays much emotion. Nearly all the other voices are excellent. Bill Maher is particularly good presenting Ken Starr's prayer. The voices of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Bob Dole are perfect, and the script is hilarious. Readers should know Eszterhas, screenwriter for many films including Basic Instinct, holds nothing back in use of language. One nice feature of the abridgment is that it does not contain the re-enactment of the conversations of Monica and Linda Tripp, which is presented in the full version. M.L.C. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]