GEORGE F. KENNAN An American Life

Gaddis’s thoughtful and often absorbing account of the life and career of the Cold War diplomat and historian, winner of this year’s Pulitzer for biography, is well served by this audio production. Malcolm Hilgartner narrates with sensitivity to the text, easy precision, and perfect pacing. He shades his voice slightly to indicate quotations from Kennan, an interesting and successful tactic, and to give the flavor of various accents or historic personages, a less successful tactic—his JFK is unconvincing, and his British accent weak. But his intelligence, undemonstrative energy, and amiable tone, as well as his ability to keep the listener involved with no perceptible effort over such a long haul, make this performance a real achievement. W.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2012]