THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

PORTRAIT OF A LADY is an anomaly; in some respects it's quite dated while other aspects of the story are timeless. Narrator Hunnicutt handles this diversity effectively. Her voice has an old-fashioned quality, which is appropriate to the book's setting. However, her delivery keeps modern listeners interested. Isabel Archer is an American heiress who travels and lives in Europe. She's very independent, a quality that makes her unhappy and unfortunate marriage to a money-grabbing "gentleman" surprising and tragic. How she handles this dilemma keeps the listener guessing until James's final word. Hunnicutt particularly excels at male voices and presents some of the best thought processes to be found in audiobooks. S.G.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPT 96]