THE RED CHAMBER

In the Beijing mansion of the noble eighteenth-century Jia family, three women strive to find satisfaction amid the varied challenges of their competing lives. Narrator Grayce Wey’s lilting voice provides a silky musicality to the lyrical narrative, and her nimble pronunciation of Chinese names is a gift to the Western listener. Wey portrays Wang Xifeng, who runs the wealthy estate, with shrewdness and a sharp tongue, both of which are intended to hide her disappointment at having failed to produce an heir. When orphaned and penniless Daiyu joins the luxurious household, Wey reveals her apprehensions, as well as the reticence of cousin Baochai, whose status in the family is ambiguous. Using a stilted tone for the dialogue, Wey depicts the stiff formality of a refined culture. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2012]