KEYNES The Return of the Master

The ideas of John Maynard Keynes, the most influential economist of the first half of the twentieth century, had fallen out of favor by the 1980s. Here author Skidelsky examines the recent financial crisis and argues that it vindicated many Keynesian ideas. It's a difficult book for lay readers, and Robert Blumenfeld's narration does little to warm it up. His style is fusty, often sounding like he's scolding the listener, though to be fair, the author is partly to blame for the production’s tone. Also, Blumenfeld’s pace is too fast, making it difficult to absorb the dense passages on economic theory. Listeners will long for the printed book so they can go back and reread. D.B. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]