THE TEMPORARY GENTLEMAN

Narrator Gerard Doyle’s sonorous voice provides the perfect complement to Sebastian Barry’s story of an Irishman who was awarded the status of “temporary gentleman” along with his commission in the British Army during WWII. Here he looks back on his life from the vantage point of a solo existence in Ghana in 1957. Barry’s lyrical writing is in striking contrast to the brutal life lived by his main character, Jack McNulty, a man whose gambling debts and inattention to his family destroyed the spirit of his lovely wife. Doyle’s narration highlights both the peaks and valleys of McNulty’s tumultuous life, making this a powerful listening experience. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2014]