THE RELUCTANT QUEEN

This historical novel traces the life of Lady Anne Neville, who became Queen Anne, wife of Richard III. Binchy's reading, though rich with the creamy accents of British nobility, suffers from two significant flaws. Her rendering of the children's and, to some extent, the women's voices is high-pitched and whiny. Even more distracting are her audible swallowing and breathlessness near the end of sentences. Such shortcomings cause the reader to focus on the mechanics of the recording rather than the novel, and they mar an otherwise respectable performance. R.B.F. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 95]