NO ORDINARY TIME

A fascinating dual biography of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt provides intimate details of their personal and professional relationships during the War years. This unabridged version is recommended with reservations. An intelligent, well-paced reading is marred by technical problems--frequent variations in volume bothered several listeners (particularly car listeners) who tested it. Goodwin's voice tends to drop to a whisper at the ends of phrases. She also tries to suggest the various voices of the principal figures (many of whom are familiar to listeners) with varying degrees of success. Her vocalizations of Eleanor, Franklin, and Churchill come off well, but why use stagy German accents for Goebbels and Hitler? S.P. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]