UNTIL AUGUST

Gabriel Garcia Márquez's last novel, although far from his best, deserves a better reading than it gets in this audio version. Catalina Sandino Moreno's English pronunciation is decidedly imperfect. A Spanish accent is not necessarily a problem with a Latin American novel, but an accent that interferes with our understanding of the text is not ideal. Moreno's phrasing also sometimes diminishes the clarity. The novel itself is quite interesting, despite the revelation that the author wanted it suppressed. It is the story of a woman's sexual and personal awakening over several years through a series of August visits to her mother's grave. While it lacks the depth of Garcia Márquez's best work, it still has his wonderful characters and prose. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2024]