PULSE Stories

Julian Barnes comes across as a British Updike in these literate but accessible stories—some funny, some sad, most about contemporary upper-middle-class Brits. David Rintoul’s narration, fluid, polished, engaging, accentuates their entertainment value; he collaborates with Barnes, and they become storytellers together. His somewhat growly voice is a fine, flexible tool that suits the varieties of text, harsh or delicate, emotional or quietly objective, as needed. In some long dialogue exchanges, one can’t tell who’s who, but that’s the text, not Rintoul. His tactic for women’s voices, a shift in tone, is usually effective but occasionally misleading, and his American accent is good, not great; one is aware that he’s “doing an accent.” But quibbles aside, this program is a great pleasure, intelligent and urbane. W.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2011]