ORLANDO

Virginia Woolf's extraordinary novel translates beautifully to audio. In a crisp, sonorous British voice Barbara Rosenblat spins the fantastic tale of Orlando. The narrator is Orlando's biographer, who has consulted historical documents to fully recount the title character's life and times, which span 400 years and Orlando's change of sex. Rosenblat consistently maintains her strong, captivating narrative, delivering Woolf's hyperbole, irony and digressions effectively. Though the work has little dialogue, Rosenblat artfully creates distinct characters. The absence of sound effects or music does not mar the recording. A brief, introductory biography of Woolf enhances the text. J.A.H. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG 94]