MRS. NIXON

Bestselling authors write books that capture our imaginations and connect their characters to our lives. In that sense, Beattie has done an excellent job in both imagining the life of Pat Nixon and leading us through the process of writing such a fictionalization. The book gives us an idea of what Mrs. Nixon might have been thinking as the dutiful, but reluctant, spouse of our 36th president. Bestselling authors, though, are sometimes not the best choices to read their own books, and Beattie fits into this category. She has a clear voice and excellent diction, but she doesn’t have the presence and vitality that a vocal professional might lend to her work. Her reading is flat and lacks the emotional punch that fiction demands. The book is certainly worth a listen, but as an audio experience, it could be better. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2012]