A DUAL INHERITANCE

In 1963, working-class Jewish Ed Cantrowitz and old-money WASP Hugh Shipley, students at Harvard, develop a friendship that affects both men long after they've gone their separate ways. Although author Joanna Hershon injects her narration with a modest level of emotion, this audiobook comes across as a recorded reading rather than as a narration. The odd breaks and inconsistent accents and characterizations distract the listener from a story of how our cultural heritage continues to influence our choices throughout our lives. With a more expert narrator at the mike, listeners would have been treated to more appropriate pacing and smoother changes in emphasis, keeping them better connected to the novel. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2013]