THE CHARTERHOUSE OF PARMA

Set in a corrupt Italian principality, Stendhal's 1839 comic masterpiece is often called the greatest of political novels. This fine new audiobook narration by Nicholas Boulton captures all the cosmopolitan wit and worldly detachment of its author's distinctive voice. Like many other nineteenth-century masters, and unlike today's more detached authors, Stendhal is companion and guide, and he oversees the adventures of "our hero," the headstrong Fabrizio, with open partiality. Boulton slips easily into that traditional narrative role and takes us through Stendhal's rollicking action-filled narrative at an unflagging pace. His performance is classic, and now more than ever, Stendhal's sanity and good humor are a welcome antidote to the modern world's harsher political realities. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2022]