MARTHA INC.

As with many authors who read their own books, Byron might have been better served by hiring a professional narrator. One effect of an author reading a biography he has written is the added color of attitude that comes through. Byron’s reading is no exception. At times dripping with condescension and with no small amount of scorn, he seems particularly pleased when he describes some act by which he thinks Martha Stewart was trying to get away with something. Byron makes his prejudices clear through both his text and narration. He works at giving an animated reading, but it comes across as forced. Had the book been much longer, it would have grown tiresome. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]