THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE

Frances Tomelty brilliantly performs this grievous story of a woman excluded from the feast of life. The narration is perfectly timed, perfectly nuanced. In dialogue each character is drawn sharply, totally. The only jarring note is James Madden, who returning to Belfast after thirty years in America sounds like a small-time bookie from the Bronx, a noise which hurts the ear, particularly when heard amidst Tomelty's mellifluous Irish voices. Glorious as her portrayal of Judith Hearne is, Tomelty's crowning triumph may be the insinuating Bernard Rice, mama's boy and poet, who sees straight through Miss Hearne's pretenses at gentility. This is a wonderful piece of work. E.J.M. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV 92]