WHAT A CARVE UP!

Michael Owen is employed to write a history of the greedy, grasping Winshaw family, whose various members have tentacles in all areas of British industry, including banking, arms dealing, factory farming, art, and the media. Jonathan Coe’s hilarious, satirical, and occasionally heartwarming story requires Colin Buchanan to develop a large number of character voices with different inflections and accents. Equal to the challenge, Buchanan proves to be a one-man full cast. Highlights include Michael’s pathetic but generous lilt, crazy Aunt Tabitha’s cackle, and the elderly, libido-driven detective Findlay Onyx’s likable baritone. Buchanan’s spirited and amusing reading draws every bit of humor and irony and emotion from Coe’s writing. It’s a combination that makes for a vastly entertaining audio experience. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2010]