THE GIRLS WITH NO NAMES

The premise of this audiobook is a familiar one: Pampered young woman rebels against societal expectations, and trouble ensues. While the prospect of returning to Gilded Age New York City is always appealing, this audiobook fails to capture a true sense of time and place, opting instead for exaggerated drama and slow-moving narrative. All three narrators offer uneven performances--sometimes with inconsistent accents, other times with contrived dialogue, and always with an over-the-top tone that somehow spotlights the overused adjectives and clichéd turns of phrase. This audiobook could provide an escape to a different place and a familiar struggle--for independence, for understanding, for happiness--as long as the listener doesn't expect too much subtlety or too challenging a story. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]