A WELL-TEMPERED HEART

Cassandra Campbell is an experienced narrator, and her skills are put to good use in this sequel to THE ART OF HEARING HEARTBEATS. She vividly brings the passion, confusion, and other emotions of the protagonist to the listener. Campbell shifts capably between the contemporary female character and the backstory of war in Burma in the early twentieth century. As a female narrator, she manages equally well between the angst of the female characters and the modulated tones of the males. Her greatest strength may be that she avoids the hysterical pitch sometimes used to dramatize stories about women. Campbell’s performance is easy on the ears; her pace and diction will be much appreciated by those who love audio versions of literary titles. M.R. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2014]