AMERICANS AT WAR

In these loosely connected essays on various episodes and individuals in American military history, Ambrose has his say on topics ranging from the character of George Custer to the Cold War. An essay, even when gracefully written, is about as far from any oral tradition as literature can get, and gains little from oral interpretation. However, if one prefers listening to reading, Ambrose's essays are well served by Barrett Whitener, who reads them in a clear, pleasant voice with good phrasing. However, this collection is poorly packaged. Here are 15 stand-alone items, which the user may well wish to listen to separately. But the audiobook packaging doesn't even list their titles, let alone provide any kind of indexing. J.N. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 00]