FIFTY FAMOUS FAIRY TALES

What a treat to have a compendium of the greats of folk literature from the European tradition narrated by Marguerite Gavin, who evokes memories of one’s own mother reading the stories by one’s bedside. Her steady, soothing voice navigates the familiar, such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "Tom Thumb," and treasured, but less well-known, tales, such as "The Water of Life" and "Faithful John." Gavin adds just the right amount of inflection and variation to bring voice to each character, be it the innocent child, the gruff and rumbly giant, or the calculating innkeeper. There are too many tales on this recording to listen continuously without causing them to blur together. But three-minute tracking makes navigation manageable so that one can find the right tale for the right time. A.R. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 02]