THE PIAZZA TALES

Melville is among the more difficult titans of American literature, and this audiobook does little to make his shorter works more accessible. The narratives are easy enough to follow on the surface, but the real meat of these stories is below the surface, and the clear but rather affectless narrations don't help to open them up. Michael Lackey, who delivers "Bartleby, the Scrivener" is the exception. His narration of a story about two men who are emotionally dead, in different ways, throbs with life despite the main characters. Realistic characterization may not have been Melville's strongest suit, but the other narrators seem to be more concerned (not always successfully) with correct pronunciation than with emotional depth. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2019]