TENNYSON'S GIFT & GOING LOCO

These two early novels by the author of EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES are both amusing. However, while Timothy West's delivery of TENNYSON'S GIFT is in all ways professional, neither he nor the author captures the sound of nineteenth-century Britain. West is clear but not dramatic; furthermore, Truss writes a bit abstractly in this earlier novel. By contrast, GOING LOCO is a great pleasure to listen to. Author Truss focuses more closely on human idiosyncrasies, turns her phrases more deftly, and portrays dialogue richly, giving narrator Belinda Lang a lot to work with. She does, pounding away at heavy Swedish accents and casual English idiocy with zest. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]