THE HIRELING

Nicholas Boulton's narration makes L.P. Hartley's discursive novel about difficult class relations and thwarted love more involving than it might otherwise be. He gives each character a distinctive voice, ably indicating gender and class. Most engaging is the main character, Leadbitter, a tough WWI vet, brawler, misogynist, and chauffeur for hire, who has a gravelly voice and a working-class accent. Boulton's pacing is perfect (i.e., imperceptible), and he provides just the right level of acting for the performance of a novel, as opposed to a play. He also excels at dialogue that is bound by description and narration. He even enhances the omniscient narrator's sometimes lengthy discourses. Overall, his one-man performance might be better than the material merits. W.M. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2025]