Audiobooks

Berendt, John. City of Falling Angels. Penquin Press, 2005. Books on Tape, 2005, unabridged, 11CDs.

Narrated by Holter Graham. It's taken Berendt 10 years follow up his long-running bestseller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In lieu of Savannah, he offers us Venice, another port city full of eccentric citizens and with a long, colorful history. Like the first book, this one has a trial at the its center: Berendt moves to Venice in 1997, just three days after the city's famed Fenice opera house burns down during a restoration. The Venetian chattering classes, among whom Berendt finds a home, want to know whether it was an accident or arson. Initially, Berendt investigates, but is soon distracted by the city's charming citizens. Early on, he's warned, "Everyone in Venice is acting," which sets the stage for fascinating portraits: a master glassblower creating an homage to the fire in vases, an outspoken surrealist painter, a tenacious prosecutor and others. As the infamous Italian bureaucracy drags out the investigation, Berendt spends more time schmoozing with the expatriate community in long discussions about its role in preserving local art, culture and architecture. By the time the Fenice is rebuilt and reopens, Berendt has delivered an intriguing mosaic of modern life in Venice, which makes for first-rate travel writing, although this one that lacks a compelling core story to keep one reading into the night. Great narration by Holter Graham, who handles the many characters and accents with ease.

Berendt, John. City of Falling Angels. Penquin Press, 2005. Books on Tape, 2005, unabridged, 11CDs. Narrated by Holter Graham.

Ardent fans of John Berendt’s first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, will be pleased to discover that following a 10 year wait, their patience has been richly rewarded with the recent publication of his next book-length work, The City of Falling Angels. The same three part formula used in Midnight . . . reappears in the new book. Berendt has again chosen a crime and its subsequent investigation as the core of his story. Sprinkled throughout the narrative are interesting portraits of eccentric and fascinating people. And, finally, all of this takes place in an exotic location – in this case, Venice. One evening in early 1996 the city of Venice was awestruck to learn that their only remaining opera house, the Gran Teatro La Fenice, was ablaze. Berendt tells this story through the eyes of people who actually watched the fire burn out of control. Throughout the course of the book, he covers the fire itself, the subsequent investigation, the court trials (starring a most thorough and tenacious prosecutor), the bidding process for rebuilding, the rebuilding saga itself complete with unbelievable impediments compliments of the infamous Italian bureaucracy and, finally after 7 years the reopening.

Throughout the telling of this central story, the reader is introduced to many eccentric and entertaining characters (both primary and secondary to the core story) and is given access to many famous and hidden locales within the legendary city. In addition to the tenacious prosecutor from the central story, the reader meets an artisan glassblower, the controversial, gay poet, Mario Stefani, mask-makers, an outspoken, surrealist painter, wealthy and quarrelsome philanthropists who head up a nonprofit restoration association called Save Venice, pigeon exterminators and an elected stateswoman who moonlights as a porn star. One interesting figure, Massimo Donadon is known as the Rat-Man of Treviso. This wise and successful entrepreneur has cornered 30% of the world’s rat poison market by tailor-designing poisonous concoctions which contain human foods that are popular and unique to the regions to which he is selling. Berendt also offers a story profiling a socially ambitious American woman (the wife of a local Anglican priest) who goes to great effort to fleece the mistress of the late Ezra Pound of Pound’s important papers. This same megalomaniac causes great strife and potential ruin to those administering the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. She may well be the most unwieldy and memorable expatriate featured in the book. From insiders to outsiders, Venetians to expatriates, low-lives to titled gentry, such as counts and marchesas, the total cavalcade of interesting characters is too large to convey in a brief review. Locales within Venice are endearingly portrayed as well, such as the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco. Readers are treated to a rare view of the Palazzo Barbaro upon which Henry James based his masterpiece, The Wings of the Dove. Readers are also treated to a masque bal where much like Venice itself, nothing is quite like it seems. Some readers will fault Berendt for digressing too far afield (and for too long) from the core story of the fire and its investigation. One might note in his defense that Berendt’s meandering is not unlike that of any of many narrow and winding alleyways found throughout Venice. There are plenty of tangents in Midnight . . . as well, but there is probably some credence in saying that Berendt’s new book is more guilty of failing to keep the central story focused and central. Some may even contend that the central story itself is not as compelling as the murder trial found in Midnight . . .. This reviewer is untroubled and somewhat indifferent to such criticisms. The City of Falling Angels is nothing short of an incredible read. John Berendt is a masterful writer of spare, rhythmic and egoless prose. Every choice of word or phrase is a perfect fit and totally without pretension. Next to language, his best achievement is creating an intriguing mosaic of modern life in Venice. Through his consummate story telling, the reader comes to a near complete understanding of the "Venetian effect." Perhaps Count Girolamo Marcello expresses it best at the beginning of the book when he says, "Everyone in Venice is acting. Everyone plays a role, and the role changes. The key to understanding Venetians is rhythm, the rhythm of the lagoon, the water, the tides, the waves. It’s like breathing. High water, high pressure: tense. Low water, low pressure: relaxed. The tide changes every six hours. . . . the truth can change. I can change. You can change. That is the Venetian effect."

Print vs. Audio: The print and audio formats for this book each have their advantages and disadvantages. The book offers the reader maps of Venice on its endpapers. It also provides guides for proper names (people and places) and a glossary of selective Italian words and terms. The audio offers the reader with pronunciations of these Italian names and words. Berendt has a pleasant voice and it is a joy to hear such fine writing being read by the author. If it weren’t for the actual sounds of Venice, one would be tempted to board a gondola and put on headphones for a magical cruise through Berendt’s mysterious Venice.

Carter, Jimmy. Sharing Good Times. Simon & Schuster, 2004. Simon & Schuster Audio, 2004 .Narrated by the author.

Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter have led very busy lives.  In these four discs he shares with us about his activities and interests beginning with his childhood days.  The focus is on hobbies and volunteer involvements, not on his military, business or governing responsibilities.  Jimmy Carter has always been learning something. When he has had any 'free time,' he has been learning how to do something such as making furniture or improving upon a skill already learned.  His years as President of the United States have opened may doors for Jimmy and Rosalyn as they have traveled in this country and around the world meeting many people.  Climbing mountains of fishing for trout, they have enjoyed each other and the wonders of solitude and nature.

Christie, Agatha. Thirteen at Dinner. G.K. Hall, 1967. The Audio Partners Publishing Corp., 2002. Read by Hugh Fraser. Unabridged.

Most mystery lovers are familiar with Agatha Christie’s quirky Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. In Thirteen at Dinner, an American actress begs Poirot to convince her husband, Lord Edgware, to give her a divorce. When Edgeware is murdered, she is the first suspect, probably because she walked in his front door and told the butler who she was before joining Edgeware in his library. 30 minutes later he was discovered with a knife wound in the base of his neck. But is she really guilty of the murder or is it a clever frame. It’s up to Poirot’s "little grey cells" to solve the case. Hugh Fraser, better known as "Captain Hastings" in television’s Poirot mystery series, does an admirable job reading and acting the different characters. His "Poirot" is my favorite of all of the readers of this series.

Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart. Scholastic, 2003. Translated from the German by Anthea Bell. Random House/Listening Library---unabridged. Narrated by Lynn Redgrave.

What if the characters in a book could come to life---and come out of their book? Twelve year old Meggie lives with her bookbinder father, Mortimer, and has always assumed that her mother died when she was very young. But when a mysterious man named Dustfinger shows up at their door in the middle of a rainy night, Meggie begins to learn the truth: that her father has the ability to bring fictional characters to life simply by reading aloud. He has read characters out of their fictional worlds and into this one---and when that happens, someone has to leave this world and go into their books to take their places. What is worse, one of the characters that Mortimer has read out of the novel Inkheart is the villain of the piece, a cold-blooded, black-hearted warlord named Capricorn who wants to use Mortimer’s abilities for his own dark purposes. Lynn Redgrave gives us a reading of Inkheart that is as close to perfect as any audiobook fan could desire. She has a talent for distinctive character voices both male and female, along with clear, distinct enunciation and brisk but unhurried pacing that draws the listener along through chapter after chapter. When the story came to an end, I wanted to go back to the first tape and start listening to the whole novel all over again. This audiobook is a brilliant match of story and reader and is highly recommended.

Hamill, Pete. Forever. Little, Brown, 2003. Recorded Books, 2003, unabridged, 17 cassettes. Narrated by Henry Strozier.

This novel demands that the reader immediately suspend disbelief, but if this summons is heeded the reward will be a superior tale told by Hamill in the cadence of the master storyteller. The year is 1741, and this is the story of Cormac O'Connor-"Irish, and a Jew"-who grows up in Ireland under English Protestant rule and is secretly schooled in Gaelic religion, myth and language. Seeking to avenge the murder of his father by the Earl of Warren, he follows the trail of the earl to New York City. On board ship, Cormac befriends African slave Kongo, and once in New York, the two join a rebellion against the British. After the rising is quelled, mobs take to the streets and Kongo is seized. Cormac saves Kongo from death, but is shot in the process. His recovery takes a miraculous turn when Kongo's dead priestess, Tomora, appears and grants Cormac eternal life and youth-so long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan, thus the Forever of the title. What follows is a portrait of the "city of memory of which Cormac was the only citizen." Cormac fights in the American Revolution, sups with Boss Tweed (in a very sympathetic portrait) and lives into the New York of 2001. In that year he warily falls in love with Delfina, a streetwise Dominican ("That was the curse attached to the gift: You buried everyone you loved"), and comes into contact with a descendant of the Earl of Warren, the newspaper publisher Willie Warren. His love, his drive for revenge and his very desire to exist are fatefully challenged on the eve and the day of September 11. This rousing, ambitious work is beautifully woven around historical events and characters, but it is Hamill's passionate pursuit of justice and compassion-Celtic in foundation-that distinguishes this tale of New York City and its myriad peoples. The narrator, Henry Strozier, did an excellent job. He handled the many accents required well, his women characters and helped you sink into the flavor of the story.

Karon, Jan. Shepherd's Abiding including Esther's Gift and the Mitford Snowmen. Viking, 2003. Recorded Books, 2003. Narrated by John McDonough.

This is a delightful and totally enjoyable audio book.  The story takes place in Mitford during the months of preparation for Christmas. Father Tim in 'retired' and he and his wife are living in the little yellow house with Barnabas who is a dog the size of a refrigerator. Father Tim embarks on a project to surprise Cynthia at Christmas.  Once he begins the restoration of 20 plus nativity figures he wonders what he has gotten into and who to proceed and does he really have time?  Of course, Father Tim’s friends are excited about the 'surprise' and are happy to help him.  Cynthia is also working a 'surprise' and all Father Tim knows about it is the awful smell coming from her studio. Uncle Billy decided on 'Santee' for rose and he proceeds on the construction. John Mcdonough has a wonderful voice.  It is a pleasure to listen to him read and sing.  He uses different character voices and accents. His voice brings to life the Mitford personalities.

Macomber, Debbie. Changing Habits. Mira, 2003. Harper Audio, 2004. Narrated by Trini Alvarado.

Angelina's father ran an Italian restaurant where he taught Angelina how to cook.  She was a very good cook and truly excelled in using Italian herbs and pasta.  Since her mother died, Angelina and her father had been inseparable and it was assumed, actually planned, that one day Angelina would run the restaurant. Joanna grew up in a time when little girls played with dolls, had neighborhood friends over to play and dreamed of being either a teacher or nurse someday.  Joanna decided to be a nurse. Then life changed for both of these girls.  Each decided, for different reasons and following different circumstances, that God was calling to a life in a religious order.  Sister Angelina became a teacher and Joanna a nurse.  Of course, once they entered the convent they had years of training in religion and the disciplines of life there as well as training in their chosen work.  Changing Habits is their story.  Debbie Macomber tells of the inner struggles, turmoil, joy and peace in each girl's life throughout the years.  How each girl dealt with their particular circumstances determined the outcome of this story.

Nix, Garth. Sabriel. HarperCollins, 1996. Listening Library, 2002. Read by Tim Curry. Unabridged.

Sabriel is daughter to the Mage Abhorsen. Her father has taught her how to bind, control, and quiet the dead who roam the Old Kingdom, and her boarding school has taught her the use of Free Magic. Now her father has sent her a ghostly message of danger, and Sabriel must leave the safety of her school and return to the Old Kingdom to rescue him. Along the way she is joined by Mogget, a tricky talking feline, and Touchstone, a former statue with no memory of how he got that way. The trio face danger and multitudes of the lesser and greater dead as the evil threatening the Old Kingdom stalks them. Will they find the Abhorsen? And if they do, will they still have time to stop the destruction of all who exist in the realm of the living? Tim Curry’s voice is amazingly flexible; able to pitch itself believably to the tones of an adolescent girl, an impudent cat, and a depressed yet courageous prince as well as the various dead. His telling makes the book come alive, and listeners will find themselves devouring the sequels simply to hear his characterizations. Sequels: Lirael & Abhorsen.

Picoult, Jodi. My Sister’s Keeper. Atria, 2003. Recorded Books, 2004, Narrated by Julia Gibson, Richard Poe, Tom Stechschulte, Jenny Ikeda, and others.

Anna was genetically engineered to be a perfect match for her cancer-ridden older sister. Since birth, the 13-year-old has donated platelets, blood, her umbilical cord, and bone marrow as part of her family's struggle to lengthen Kate's life. Anna is now being considered as a kidney donor in a last-ditch attempt to save her 16-year-old sister. As this compelling story opens, Anna has hired a lawyer to represent her in a medical emancipation suit to allow her to have control over her own body. Picoult skillfully relates the ensuing drama from the points of view of the parents; Anna; Cambell, the self-absorbed lawyer; Julia, the court-appointed guardian ad litem; and Jesse, the troubled oldest child in the family. Everyone's quandary is explicated and each of the characters is fully developed. There seems to be no easy answer, and readers are likely to be sympathetic to all sides of the case. This is a real page-turner and frighteningly thought-provoking. The story shows evidence of thorough research and the unexpected twist at the end will surprise almost everyone. The novel does not answer many questions, but it sure raises some and will have readers thinking about possible answers long after they have finished the book.

Slaughter, Karin. Faithless. Delacorte Press, 2005. Books on Tape, 2005. Narrated by Clarinda Ross.

Slaughter's dark, forensic-driven Grant County series of crime novels has always drawn a thin line between the members of the law-enforcement team and the victims of the crimes being investigated. The title of the fifth entry in the series reflects both the marital difficulties of coroner Sara Linton and her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, and the label affixed to certain willful members of a religious cult. Jeffrey makes a grisly discovery in the woods when he stumbles over a metal pipe. A young woman was buried alive in a wooden crate for several days and appears to have died of asphyxiation. But Sara's autopsy reveals a far different scenario. Jeffrey and officer Lena Adams' investigation leads to a farm owned by the Church of the Greater Good, which appears to have used burial as a form of punishment before. Meanwhile, Lena finds her own sick relationship with an abusive lover mirrored in the marriage of a former cult member who has damning information but is too afraid to disclose it for fear of provoking another vicious beating from her husband. Slaughter cannily incorporates any number of women's issues--from the difficult work of rebuilding a ruined relationship to finally figuring out when to call it quits--within a compulsively readable narrative.

Wodehouse, P.G. Right Ho, Jeeves. The Audio Partners Publishing Corp., 2004. Read by Jonathan Cecil. Unabridged.

Chaos reigns in this madcap tale of Edwardian British life. Bertie Wooster, quintessential lad about town, is ordered by his formidable Aunt Dahlia to visit her and give out prizes at the Market Snodsbury Grammar School. Bertie protests, and puts in motion a series of events that can only be described as zany. It’s up to Jeeves to once again come to the rescue and clean up the confusion left in Berties wake. The audiobook is brilliantly read by Jonathan Cecil, whose characterizations of Jeeves, Wooster, and the other Wodehouse denizens leaves a solid picture in the mind of the listener.