PORTRAIT INSIDE MY HEAD

This collection of stories from one of our leading essayists explores his life in New York, marriage, parenthood, and American culture. They are fascinating in their depth and reinforce Lopate's reputation as a singular literary voice. Narrator Stefan Rudnicki has a deep, seemingly bottomless voice that both complements and detracts from the stories. He certainly sounds authoritative, and his diction and pacing are beyond reproach. The issue is that his voice has such a distinct sound that it sometimes becomes the focus of the book rather than the content itself. Rudnicki does vary his pitch and use emotion to make the author's points, but it's difficult to listen to him for sustained periods of time. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2013]