TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES

Like Ibsen's THE DOLL HOUSE, TESS speaks to feminist issues that reverberate from Victorian times to today. The heroine, a pretty country lass with spirit and intelligence, falls under the perfidious influence of a randy kinsman from whom only murder can extricate her. The gloom of the English Midlands mirrors the sad history of an essentially good woman struggling against the mores of her time. Thorne narrates these events in listener-friendly British tones and provides vivid characters in authentic accents. However, listeners familiar with Hardy's fiction will feel that something's missing. The narrator's approach is almost clinical; there's more subtext and poetry to explore than he's touched. Y.R. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 99]