SUNNYSIDE

A novel of the early twentieth century combines historical characters, anchored by Charlie Chaplin, with a raft of whacky fictional ones. Robertson Dean is an excellent narrator with a range of vocal tools and capabilities. However, his sporadic attempts at voicing do little to serve this story. For example, when Charlie Chaplin does an impromptu monologue as Comrade Leon Trotsky, much of the poignancy of the piece is lost due to the vague blend of accents employed. This kind of voicing is especially difficult when a character as well known as Chaplin is involved and the author has chosen to use his "voice" to create yet another great historical character. M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2009]