THE DIAMOND

The true story of the Regent Diamond is expertly recounted by author Julie Baumgold through historical and fictional characters. The book examines history through the faceted prisms of one rare object. The Regent Diamond passed through an astonishing number of owners, many of whom displayed or secured it in astonishing ways. Simon Vance possesses a rich voice but delivers some of the main characters so similarly that the dialogue blurs. Conversations between fallen emperor Napoleon and his biographer, the Count Las Casas, are the most confusing, as the dialogue frequently switches to Las Casas’s internal thoughts. The “footnotes,” provided by the fictional Abraham, add an extra level of intertextuality that is better appreciated in the print format. R.F. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]