New Reviews: Classics

In 1979, V.S. Naipaul took a break from writing novels and explored the nature of Islam in several Asian countries: Iran (not long after the fall of the shah), Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. As Raj Ghatak narrates the varied ways that Islam manifests in different nations, the feelings that Muslims have about their faith are strongly evoked. Ghatak suggests voices, rather... Read More

Narrator Lucy Scott is quite good as Aurora Leigh, who tells her own story in Elizabeth Barrett Browning's novel in verse. Scott hints at the various voices and deftly expresses the Victorian (often exaggerated) passions of the characters. The poetry is clear without undue vocal emphasis. There's not much she can do, however, to speed up the story. To a contemporary listener,... Read More

It's common in twentieth-century American fiction to decry the emptiness of middle-class life, and BABBITT has become the eponym of that theme. Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis is well served by narrator Adam Sims, who makes the shallow, hypocritical, money-grubbing George Babbitt more and more sympathetic as he learns--and struggles against--the limitations of his own nature.... Read More

The embarrassment of riches among Naxos's narrators doesn't benefit this production, sadly. Wilkie Collins's melodramatic romance involves troubled marriages and religious intrigue. Nicholas Boulton's third-person narration also includes interpolated sections (mostly letters), in which the same characters Boulton has portrayed are acted by others. A long, final section of diary... Read More

A hundred years ago, Arsène Lupin, a thief who solves crimes, was popular enough to be the hero of 30 books. The character is brilliant in the manner of Sherlock Holmes, very French, and the marvelous performance by David Timson makes him almost believable. Timson deploys an arsenal of voices, accents, and tones that keep the listener involved even through the mechanical... Read More

Nicholas Boulton's narration makes L.P. Hartley's discursive novel about difficult class relations and thwarted love more involving than it might otherwise be. He gives each character a distinctive voice, ably indicating gender and class. Most engaging is the main character, Leadbitter, a tough WWI vet, brawler, misogynist, and chauffeur for hire, who has a gravelly voice and a... Read More

The title of this audiobook refers to a style of architecture, Hudson River Bracketed, that was popular during Edith Wharton's lifetime. This is one of Wharton's lesser-known novels. Kate Reading's performance is precise and methodical--therefore, well suited to Wharton's style. Vance Weston is a young man who is finding his footing in early-twentieth-century America.... Read More

Zola seems equally focused on all forms of corruption in Second Empire France--financial, political, and sexual. So it's fitting that narrator Leighton Pugh applies a high level of emotional intensity to this tawdry drama. The novel ranges from near incestuous lovemaking in a literal hothouse to the intricate details of women's gowns, styles of architecture, and real estate... Read More

The year is 2092, and humankind has been beaten down by pandemics, floods, fanaticism, isolation, and wars. Narrating in a measured aristocratic tone, Justin Avoth channels the voice of the last man alive as he lays out Mary Shelley's 1826 dystopian vision of the future. All begins happily enough with young love, ambition, and the rise of kings, but constant war, a failed... Read More

Narrator David Timson, renowned for his narration of the Sherlock Homes canon, performs this slowly unfolding tale of murder and deception written by a pioneer of detective stories in 1868. After the murder of two men and the injury of a third, sharp-eyed police detective Monsieur Lecoq follows clues through the streets of Paris. For the narrative Timson adopts a flat accent,... Read More

Jonathan Keeble's calm baritone adds just the right period touches to this seemingly simple mystery. In the small Dorsetshire village of Anneypenny, David Sewell witnesses the agonizing death of his friend. The local doctor claims the cause of death was gastric ulcers. David doesn't believe his diagnosis and slowly builds a case to prove otherwise. Keeble subtly introduces a... Read More

With crisp sound effects and an original score, Voices In the Wind Audio Theatre delivers a nice polish and American accents to Charles Dickens's classic 1866 story of the supernatural. When a newspaper reporter, portrayed with heartfelt energy by Laura Van Veen, calls "Halloa! Below there!" at the entrance of a railway tunnel, she's surprised to find a distressed and haggard... Read More

Lucy Scott brings her clear British English to this work, a sequel that was rushed out, I fear, to capitalize on the success of von Arnim's earlier well-loved book, ELIZABETH AND HER GERMAN GARDEN, published in 1898. This slight audiobook, set in Pomerania in the 1890s, is amusing for those who like gardening. Scott adds a touch of humor and affection to Elizabeth's... Read More

Fans of murder mysteries and English accents will love this listen. David Timson performs this classic crime drama in a way that makes one feel one has just emerged from a London pub in the early 20th century after having a few pints of Guinness with friends while discussing murder. The story revolves around Mr. Todhunter, a stately but ordinary man whose life is upended when... Read More