HARD CHOICES

Clinton’s audiobook recounts her tenure as secretary of state and focuses on the decisions she made while managing President Obama’s foreign policies. It sheds new light on U.S. actions regarding Iraq, China, Israel, and other world hot spots and shows Clinton to be a thoughtful and, at times, embattled statesperson. Kathleen Chalfant is the main narrator, although Clinton lends her voice to the introduction and other sections of the book. Clinton speaks well, but Chalfant does the hard work. She has an open, friendly voice, and her pacing and diction are excellent. However, while she varies her pitch enough to keep the story moving, Chalfant sounds much like Clinton. This is fine on one level as Clinton’s voice is so well known, but the artistic choice prevents her from putting her narrative mark on the book. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2014]