UNTOLD STORY

As the author imagines her, the protagonist of this novel, named Lydia, is Princess Diana, who never died in the Paris motor tragedy but instead is living an uncomplicated life as a dog kennel worker in a small Midwestern town. Emma Fielding’s perceptive performance lends believability to the novel's implausibility. She enunciates Lydia/Diana's aristocratic tones, yet one can also hear the character taking on the speech of her new home in America’s heartland. Fielding’s various accents denote the regional origins and socioeconomic classes of Lydia/Diana’s former and current acquaintances. Nicholas Farrell, who portrays the brave soul who conspired in the grand scheme that created Lydia, imparts the character’s heartfelt affection for his sovereign. The listener is once again reminded of the frenzied celebrity that plagued Diana. Ali poses the entirely credible query: What if? Riveting, convincing, and compassionate to the end. A.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]