DUBLINERS

This masterful volume of short stories concerns small, telling moments in the Irish metropolis at the beginning of the last century. Released in 1914 after considerable trouble, it is Joyce's second published work, his first book of fiction, noteworthy because of the excellence of its writing, its vividness, and its psychological depth. Nowhere does it presage the narrative experimentation of the ground-breaking ULYSSES and FINNEGAN'S WAKE; hence, many consider it his most reader-friendly opus. Of the seven or eight audiobook versions, none are completely satisfactory. This one is no exception. But at least Ralph Cosham, often Apollonian to a fault, fully engages the material, which he clearly enjoys. But he is still one stiff actor. Consequently, his attempts at humor fall flat. The trajectory of the stories eludes him, so they just stop rather then end. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]