ROMAN MYTHS

Geraldine McCaughrean begins with the Trojan War, travels with Aeneas to the Tiber River and the beginnings of Rome, and shares selected tales of Roman mythology until the time of attack by the Gauls. The familiar is represented--Vulcan and Venus, Romulus and Remus, Orion and Diana--as well as the less familiar--Ganymede, the golden bough, the twelve books of divination, and Juno's guardian geese. Andrew Sachs is a commanding narrator, delighted in the lore he shares. As god or goddess, he conveys imperiousness, wisdom, jealousy, and conspiracy. As mortal, he shares human frailties, energy, and fortitude. Thanks to Sachs's facile narration, the listener realizes how little human nature has changed; the escapades of Roman gods and mortals are familiar to us all. A.R. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]