THE GARDEN OF LETTERS

There is no particular reason for this audiobook to be performed with a British accent, since the setting is entirely Italian. Maybe to give it a "Masterpiece Theater" air? If that's the idea, Elizabeth Sastre is the perfect narrator. She delineates Richman's characters with respect and gravity, and her Italian pronunciation is lovely. Elodie is a gifted young cellist who's been carrying messages for the Resistance in WWII. In the first scene, she's rescued from danger at a fascist checkpoint in Portofino by kindly Angelo, a young, widowed doctor. Flashbacks fill in where each of them has been and hint at what they might become to each other. Sastre's performance is cool, elegant, and skillful, and fans of historical romance should be pleased. B.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2014]