THE MAKING OF CHARLES DICKENS

If anyone questions the generally accepted belief that the prolific British author put a great deal of his own life into his fiction, Hibbert's study will remove all doubt. Drawing from letters, interviews, and public records, Hibbert juxtaposes Dickens's first 33 years with liberal quotations from his books, offering fascinating insights into the author's works. David Case's heavy reading of a serious study both suits the work, and undermines it. In a voice heavy with drawn-out syllables and exaggerated pacing, he often misses the point of the words he so carefully polishes. In reading the many quotes from Dickens's novels, he offers a spirited and entertaining performance of their characters, but his "performance" of Christopher Hibbert misses the author's delight in his discoveries. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]