NATURE NOTES FOR 1906

The source, a diary kept in 1906, chronicles a year of natural observations made in the English countryside. Verse quoted from English poets punctuates the author’s entries. Apropos to the mention of specific plants or birds are excerpts from Shakespeare, Browning, Shelley, Burns, and Tennyson. Vanessa Benjamin uses her soft British voice to decorate the diary’s delicate prose. She switches to an Irish accent for an Irish poet. Her delicate voice travels through the seasons, making them seem real by combining her talent with that of each writer, as though they shared the same muse. Although informative, the audiobook’s pleasure comes from the richness of the poetic performance. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]