TENDER IS THE NIGHT

George Guidall brings to this classic the competence of the skilled professional, even if there's not as much passion in his narration as some listeners might want. Yet perhaps this understated rendering is appropriate: The novel is low key, a rather uninvolving portrait of rich, expatriot Americans cavorting about Europe after WWI. It's difficult for contemporary readers to like these people although it's easy to like Fitzgerald's stunning prose. Guidall is certainly up to its demands, differentiating among the characters, handling masterfully the many French and Swiss pronunciations, even singing a couple times in the former language. For these achievements we can forgive his emotional distance. T.H. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JAN 98]