THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE

This latest novel from Sir Salman Rushdie plumbs the erotic and seductive with splendid writing and a thoughtful consideration of man's purpose in the world. Women appear merely as beautiful objects, some real, some imagined, in this postmodern yet timeless piece of exotica. Firdous Bamji's performance deals well with Rushdie's lengthy lists, numerous character names, and extensive titles. His reading lends a distinctly ARABIAN NIGHTS flavor to the piece, placing listeners in the heart of fifteenth-century Florence and the Mughal Empire. Bamji voices intriguing central characters, most notably, the storyteller, Agostino Vespucci; the Mughal emperor Akbar; and the controversial Florentine author, Niccolò Machiavelli. A nonlinear language trip, languorous, amorous, and sensual, Bamji's reading wraps golden tissue around stories woven from flesh and air. S.J.H. 2009 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 08]