SWANN'S WAY Part 1

In this outstanding production of Proust's huge masterpiece, John Rowe's steady, even delivery captures the subtle shadings and the extended, overarching progress of the author's elaborate sentences. This long opening section operates as an overture for the novel's many symphonic threads and recreates that associative state in which vivid images from the past may be recaptured. Rowe is an excellent choice for this project: His voice, pace, and intonations express perfectly not just the elegance and subtlety of Proust's style, but also its sureness of purpose. One looks forward eagerly to the second half of this first book, with its famous novel-within-a-novel, SWANN IN LOVE, and to what promises to be an outstanding audio production of this demanding classic. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2009]