THE FUGITIVE

This is the eleventh volume in Neville Jason's reading of the massive REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST. Jason does a superb job with extremely difficult material. Not only does the author present us with nearly five hundred characters and countless resonances, but he does so in a convoluted prose style. Adroitly unraveling these locutions, Jason's characterizations and rendering of subtext are right on target. He delivers much of the original's subtle flavor, erring only in being perhaps a bit too aristocratic. Though British and reciting in a British idiom, he manages to convey a suitably Gallic feel. He also reveals a sense of Swann's elusive gestalt and its development. Moreover, he makes the whole thing interesting. In this volume at least, he knows who Swann is, how to play him, and how to involve us in Swann's quest. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 02/ JAN 03]