THE NICK ADAMS STORIES

While many readers have speculated that the character of Nick Adams is a stand-in for Ernest Hemingway, the author firmly maintained that his character was fictional. In these seminal stories, the author takes his character full circle from childhood to parenthood. Stacy Keach gives Adams the soft-spoken voice of an innocent, a tone that remains a constant even as the character encounters the realities of living, including hit men and the horrors of war. Keach expertly illuminates the way Hemingway's simple prose expresses something deeper. In stories like "Big Two-Headed River," Keach's narration reveals the hidden complexity of the author's style. Keach's voice often carries a nostalgic tone that makes the stories feel personal. These stories are familiar to many, but Keach's fresh reading is superb. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]