THE ANTIQUARY Waverly, Book 3

Scott's genial romance--mixing elements of comedy, adventure, melodrama, and mystery--presents difficulties that David Rintoul's skilled, heartfelt performance more than overcomes. To defects of its period (published 1816) such as slowness and verbosity, the book adds frequent Latin quotations--glossed-in asides--and conversations in the Scots dialect--sometimes impenetrable, though one usually gathers the gist. While Rintoul's German accent for the book's villain mostly sounds Eastern European, his other accents seem natural, and his rich, resonant voice brings the dialogue to life and enhances the narrative sections. His acting is so vivid and true, his attunement to feeling so fine, his narration so vibrant that his performance sweeps the listener along in the story, delivering far more entertainment than the text alone could provide. W.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2023]