TO CAPTURE WHAT WE CANNOT KEEP

Polly Stone narrates this unlikely romance between an Eiffel Tower engineer and a Scottish widow who is chaperoning wealthy, young siblings on their European tour. Stone voices Emile Nouguier--who was actually one of the architects of the Eiffel Tower--with the sophistication and recklessness of a bohemian bachelor in the wild days of late-nineteenth-century Paris. Stone's feminine tone and careful articulation capture Caitriona Wallace, who is well educated but lacks the social status to fit in Nouguier's well-connected circles. The French characters are rendered with an appealing gentle inflection, but Stone completely misses the opportunity to shade Caitriona's voice--there's no hint of Scots burr--and the Scottish siblings sound like whiny American teenagers. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable production. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2017]