This week we have a full-cast production, a fine collection of short stories, a creepy thriller, and a historical novel.
Black Glass
Karen Joy Fowler; read by Emily Durante, Todd Haberkorn, Heather Wilds
Brilliance Audio, seven CDs; eight hours and 35 minutes, $32.99; www.audible.com download, $19.99
These 15 short stories were first published in 1998 but were only recently made available on audio—lucky us, as these exuberant, imaginative flights of fancy are hard to turn off. In the opening story, Carrie Nation is let loose again, thanks to a little black magic and a toad-licking DEA agent. Pop culture (“The Lone Ranger”), literature (“Gulliver’s Travels”), Albert Einstein and Fowler’s own childhood in Indiana all provide grist for the mill. Wilds, a classically trained British actress, is a standout for both her lively voice and nuanced narration. Durante manages different voices and genders with success while Haberkorn reads with such energy and understanding that he overcomes a nasal and slightly gravelly vocalization. Grade: A-minus
The Marriage of Opposites
Alice Hoffman; read by Gloria Reuben, Tina Benko, Santino Fontana
Simon & Schuster Audio, 11 CDs, 14 hours, $39.99; www.audible.com download, $27.99
At the heart of this novel is a family of European immigrants and their life on St. Thomas in the early 1800s. Rachel Pomié, a French Jew, seeks refuge there with her family and settles into a colorful new life, eventually becoming the mother of impressionist Camille Pissarro. The first half of the story is captivating and exciting, but when it turns to Camille’s life, Hoffman loses her focus. For a historical novel, it sorely lacks history. However, the narration is phenomenal. Reuben’s husky and sexy voice is especially intoxicating; she conveys power and strength through inflection and pacing. Fontana sounds more contemporary with his clear, crisp diction and straightforward delivery, and Benko’s more deliberate narration is subtle without being subdued. Grade B-plus
The Night Sister
Jennifer McMahon; read by Cassandra Campbell
Random House Audio, nine CDs, 10 hours and 30 minutes, $40; www.audible.com download, $31.50
There be monsters here: Keep that in mind as you listen to this creepy tale about two sisters living in Vermont and a family curse that covers several generations. Campbell is perfect for this audiobook, as she can sound young and terrified or masculine and controlled. Her tone perfectly matches the emotions in the novel, whether rising in fear or trembling with anger. The problem is that McMahon didn’t go far enough, as the story is not nearly as scary as it could have been. Too much is telegraphed ahead before we get there and it ends with a whimper, not a bang. Grade: B-minus
The Starling Project
Jeffery Deaver; read by Alfred Molina and a full cast
Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio, four CDs, four hours and 13 minutes, $19.99; www.audible.com download, $19.95
This full-cast production features the smooth and confident voice of Alfred Molina as war-crimes investigator Harold Middleton as he chases after a criminal mastermind creating chaos around the globe. There are over 80 speaking roles and many sound effects—so many effects, in fact, that one’s nerves are rattled by the end of this short thriller. There is such an onslaught of sound that one must listen with headphones or earbuds, as voices are sometimes lost in the auditory chaos. That said, the musical score, the actor’s performances and sounds of nature all sound authentic. This just needed to be reined in somewhat so that the story remained in the forefront. Grade: B-minus
