MARK TWAIN A Life

Biographer Powers clearly and confidently reads his opus on Twain. Powers has a pleasantly resonant voice and handles his own prose adeptly. He knows when to pause and let listeners absorb Twain's humor or sarcasm. This is an enjoyable blend of narration and performance, as Powers works to offset dialogue from text with a variety of accents or inflections. His voicing of quotes is occasionally problematic because citations and footnotes are not worked into the performance. At times it is unclear if it is Twain the man or Twain the author speaking. Twain aficionados may not be listening for a recitation of sources, but at times it would be helpful to know if the quote being performed is from a primary source or a work of fiction. R.F. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]