VICTORIA

Catherine Reef's biography of Queen Victoria shows meticulous attention to detail with its many illustrations and excerpts from letters and diaries. Penelope Rawlins narrates with mixed success. Her British accent and delivery are appropriate. But the biography is aimed at young adults, and her voice lacks the energy it needs to keep young listeners engaged. While her delivery of narrative is smooth and consistent, when quoting from letters, articles, diaries, or conversation, she inserts unexpectedly long pauses before employing voices for the people being quoted. Although the pauses effectively suggest that quotes are coming, the character voices themselves need more variety. Also, Queen Victoria's voice doesn't age as she grows from a teenage princess to an elderly monarch. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2018]