SHADOW OF THE TITANIC The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived

Wilson gives a brief account of the famous shipwreck and then follows the later lives of several of the survivors in gossipy or melodramatic biographies. Bill Wallis’s rich, agile voice and likable British accent make his narration a pleasure. He enriches these stories with a remarkable versatility in tone—from plain reportage to sympathy to coyly mocking shock at the racier accounts. He gives individual voices to all the people quoted, moving seamlessly between genders, people of various ages, and accents, including several British and American ones. At times he overdoes the virtuosity a bit, for example, delivering accents that are exaggerated or odd, taking away from the text. Despite the occasional excess, the reading is a tour de force, enlivening this mixed bag of tales. W.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]