THE GREAT POETS: ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING AND CHRISTINA ROSSETTI

Two of the nineteenth century's most passionate female voices come together in this thought-provoking selection of their shorter poems. Both Browning and Rossetti explore themes of love, death, and spirituality in their poetry. Rachel Bavidge has a charming voice, and she reads Browning's poems enthusiastically. Her ability to match her voice to the emotion behind the words is uncanny, and one can often hear a smile as she reads. Georgina Sutton ably captures the more somber tones in Rossetti's poetry. She often speaks in a low voice and absorbs the melancholy mood of the poet in her reading. For Rossetti's more intense poems, she speaks with force and vivacity. Both narrators insert passion into the poetry, and their eloquent readings highlight this superb collection. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2009]