THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER'S BOY

This dark, brooding story is typical of author Ruth Rendell when she writes as Barbara Vine. Upon the death of novelist Gerald Candless, his daughter tries to uncover the many layers of his life, which were not as the family believed them to be. The psychological exploration of each thread of the story makes for compelling storytelling, but the numerous characters have their own histories and are difficult to keep track of. Narrator Michael Williams is very good, and his rich, resonant voice draws the main characters well. But abridgment plays against him here because there's little time to get acquainted with a character before the scene changes. Scene changes spanning many years also make this story difficult. Williams's talent is most evident as he presents the narrative scenes, and he's certainly an actor who could provide a memorable performance with a story better suited to audio abridgment R.F.W. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]