Audiobook Oldies but Goodies

-- Library Journal, 02/23/2009

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. tr. by Burton Raffel. 18 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 22½ hrs. Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America. 2008. ISBN 976-7927-5650-7. $129.95; 2 MP3-CDs. library ed.; Playaway digital. CLASSIC
This new translation by Raffel (Beowulf) of Chaucer’s best-known work is engaging, relatively easy to follow, and beautifully read by a sterling cast of narrators voicing its 29 characters. For those preferring modern over Middle English, it is an excellent substitute or introduction; perhaps it will even inspire a few listeners to explore the original. Good for all public and secondary school libraries. [Recordings of alternate translations available from publishers including Blackstone Audio, Sound Room Publishers, and Naxos AudioBooks.—Ed.]—I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Technical Coll., Boone, IA

Heyer, Georgette. Cotillion. 10 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 12¼ hrs. Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7927-5774-0. $94.95. ROM
Heyer, the legendary queen of Regency romances, created perhaps her most charming tale in Cotillion (1953), which pits young, impulsive, penniless Kitty Charing against her cantankerous guardian. Listeners to this title will be treated to no less than four romantic, interwoven tales, all populated with funny and engaging characters. Actress Phyllida Nash’s clear narration adds just the right touch. Of interest to public libraries. [Audio clip available through www.bbcaudiobooksamerica.com; the Sourcebooks Casablanca pb was recommended as “a core title for most romance collections,” LJ 10/15/07.—Ed.]—Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY

James, P.D. The Private Patient. 12 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 14¾ hrs. Books on Tape. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4159-5964-0. $110; 12 CDs. retail ed. Random House Audiop; digital download. F
In what may well be the last Adam Dalgliesh case—following entry no. 13, The Light House (2005)—an investigative journalist is murdered in the Dorset countryside, and multiple suspects challenge Dalgliesh’s team with past secrets and current manipulations. The slowly unfolding but entertaining novel’s last sections take some time wrapping up numerous moral issues and questions and serve as a kind of epilog for most of the characters. English actress Rosalyn Lander’s reading is excellent. Recommended. [Audio clip available through library.booksontape.com; the Knopf hc was recommended “for all public libraries,” LJ 10/15/08.—Ed.]—Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo NY

*Grimwood, Ken. Replay. 9 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 11½ hrs. Tantor Media. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4001-4010-7. $69.99; 9 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. retail ed. SF
This 1988 World Fantasy Award–winning time-travel classic will forever be remembered as Grimwood’s (d. 2003) tour de force. Six-time Audie Award nominee William Dufris (The Futurist) perfectly conveys the intense emotions of protagonist Jeff Winston and his loved ones and draws listeners into Winston’s head. Powerful writing and narration both; highly recommended for all fantasy collections. [The Arbor House hc was recommended as appealing to “a wide variety of readers,” LJ 2/1/87.—Ed.]—Don Wismer, Trustee Emeritus, Cary Memorial Lib., Wayne, ME

Howard, Linda. A Lady of the West. 11 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 13 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4233-6295-0. $92.25; 11 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. library/retail eds. ROM
Young Southern ladies adjust to life on a rough New Mexican ranch in no. 1 New York Times best-selling writer Howard’s 1990 romance. The story is told more through narration than dialog, but when it’s time for the characters to speak for themselves, actress/playwright Natalie Ross performs commendably, moving naturally among Southern, cowboy, and Spanish accents and conveying one character’s anger and conflicting emotions by biting out his words. Howard’s following and Ross’s nuanced reading ensure public libraries will want to own this. [Audio clip available through library.brillianceaudio.com.—Ed.]—Juleigh Muirhead Clark, Colonial Williamsburg Fdn. Lib., VA

Kessler, Lauren. Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family. 10 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 13 hrs. Blackstone Audio. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4332-4597-8. $80; 1 MP3-CD. library ed.; Playaway digital; digital download. HIST 
This extraordinary title by Kessler, author of the Washington Post best seller Clever Girl, was originally published in 1993. Centering on the travails of a Japanese family perceived as outsiders in their adopted land, it is read by actress/singer Christine Williams, whose voice lacks drama in the first few chapters but becomes more forceful as the story unfolds. Recommended for libraries with American history collections and for YA collections as a starting point for discussion and understanding. [Audio clip available through www.blackstoneaudio.com; the Random hc was described as “a valuable account that belongs in most Asian American history collections,” LJ 11/1/93.—Ed.]—Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., TX

Shantideva. The Way of the Bodhisattva. tr. by the Padmakara Translation Grp. 3 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 3 hrs. Shambhala Audio: Random House. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59030-633-8. $419.95. REL/SPIRITUALITY
This is a lyrical new translation of eighth-century Buddhist scholar Shantideva’s text about the path to perfection. Wulstan Fletcher, a member of the Padmakara Translation Group, reads its ten chapters beautifully and melodiously, with just a hint of a British accent. The only quibble with this presentation is the quality; the audio sounds as though it were recorded in a vast, empty studio. Recommended for academic libraries and public libraries serving listeners interested in Buddhism or New Age materials. [Audio clip available through www.shambhala.com.—Ed.]—Deborah West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA

The Tibetan Book of the Dead. tr. by Francesca Fremantle & Chögyam Trungpa. 3 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 2¾ hrs. Shambhala Audio: Random House. 2008. ISBN 978-1-59030-632-1. $19.95. REL/SPIRITUALITY
The Tibetan Book of the Dead, one of the few funerary texts still used today, is read to those in the bardo state—i.e., those in the stage of existence between life and reincarnation—with the intention of guiding them to liberation from the physical being forward to perfection or on to the next incarnation. Actor Richard Gere, a renowned devotee of Buddhism, offers a tranquil reading of this text with an occasional admonishment to the listener to heed carefully what is being said. Recommended for academic libraries and public libraries serving listeners interested in Buddhism or New Age materials. [Audio clip available through www.shambhala.com.—Ed.]—Deborah West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. 7 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 8½ hrs. Tantor Media. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4001-3948-4. $59.99; 7 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. retail ed. with ebook. F
Wilde’s classic moral tale, first published in 1890, is here reissued in audio and read by 11-time Audie Award nominee Simon Prebble. Wilde specifically crafted this title to be read from the printed page, and even with the highly competent Prebble’s narration, much of the beauty of his language is lost. The companion PDF ebook is clear and easy to read, but the regular loss of eye-tracking continuity when moving from page to page (a characteristic of all multipage PDF files) can be distracting. Still, this is a good alternative for individuals unlikely to sit down with a paper copy. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. [Alternate recordings from Blackstone Audio, with Simon Vance reading, and from Brilliance Audio, with Michael Page reading.—Ed.]—I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Technical Coll., Boone, IN