EIGHTH CHAMPION OF CHRISTENDOM

In September 1939, an ordinary young Englishman joins the army, and nothing in life will ever be ordinary again. Alex Jennings does a remarkable job transforming Jim Benison from an amiable lad with mundane problems to a physically and emotionally shattered man. His tense, deliberate pacing of battle lifts the war, rightfully, to the level of central character. His tone expresses deep sympathy for the demolished Belgians and the overwhelmed but fervently resistant French. He truly excels in capturing the many flavors of English patriotism, from the pub generals' planning strategy with ashtrays and dominoes to the quietly heroic young men who have barely begun to live before they die for an idea. S.F. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JAN 98]