THE MANDELBAUM GATE

An insistent Englishwoman, a half-Jewish covert to Catholicism, crosses from Israeli-held to Jordanian-held Jerusalem. The backdrop is the Eichmann trial of 1961. So begins a series of bizarre, sometimes comic events. By limiting himself to a single English and a single Arab accent, the narrator fails to provide this dialogue-rich text with adequate texture. He does achieve successful transitions through deliberate pauses and changes of voice. Thus, we're able to follow the many tangents the author uses to enrich the story and our listening pleasure. J.K.R. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV 94]