WASHINGTON SQUARE

With this performance, narrator Adam Sims sounds both historical and contemporary, bridging the time span between James's nineteenth-century novel and the present day with style. His brisk pace and youthful tone seem modern, while his sharp-edged, superbly enunciated syllables hark back to an earlier time. This dichotomy works to the listener's advantage: One feels transported back in time without any problems with comprehension or attention. As Catherine Sloper grows up under the eye of her widowed father, she is found wanting, according to the standards of her social status. When a dashing suitor appears on the scene, his intentions are questioned, and the conflict ensues. This is a good performance of a great classic. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2017]