TARKA THE OTTER

This story of nature's glory and tragedy continually tears up the listener, who is well aware of the inevitable ending. But the book justly won the Hawthornden Prize for literature, for it is elegant, vivid, sometimes enthralling. Michael Maloney reads with consummate skill; his British voice is rapid with excitement during the many escalations of the action. He mimics animal sounds when indicated, bringing a sense of immediacy to a story in which dialogue is almost absent. His low-key intensity is just what this story demands. Because of his skill, one can hear water pour over weir, see dappled sunlight on tidal pools, feel the fear of the hunting dog and man. D.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 98]