THE STONE CARVERS

Canadian actor Nicky Guadagni reads Jane Urquhart's tale of unrequited love, loss, and parallel quests for meaning in life with a wistful urgency befitting this novel. Urquhart's characters, all of whom possess a great amount of depth, and moving story line are short-changed in this abridgment, however, which cuts this two-century-long story into four short hours. Amazingly, in spite of the cuts, Guadagni weaves a beautiful spell around Klara Becker, a gifted stone carver, her long-lost brother, Tilman, and the few friends they manage to make throughout the story. Guadagni's performance is flawless, leaving one with a longing for an unabridged version. H.L.S. 2004 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 04]