THE GARDEN PARTY

With the timing and phrasing of a musician, Marguerite Gavin narrates this last-published, collection of Katherine Mansfield's short stories. Gavin has a lovely singing voice that particuarly enhances one of the stories about a singing teacher. She generally reads with a great deal of enthusiasm and expression. Her characterization is adequate although the lower register voices are strained. Her accents also sound a bit affected, but that may also be a reflection, in part, of the manners of the time period represented. It would be helpful to the listener of this collection of 15 stories if the individual titles were listed on the package. In addition, the reader was misidentified on the review copy. J.E.M. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 99]