TALKING BACK

If a book ever begged to be read by the author, this is it. Anyone who has ever heard Mitchell narrate a broadcast can attest to her vivid pronunciation, pacing, and striking voice. She has written an interesting, serious, sometimes chatty book about her years as an NBC reporter, but the narration has been left to Melissa Edris, and the contrast is striking. Edris's voice has a tone that is easy to listen to, but she reads far too fast, swallows and mispronounces words, and zips by Mitchell's witticisms and sly ironic asides like a semi on the interstate. The result is a less than respectful treatment of late- twentieth-century history. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]