From Publishers Weekly
This 1986 Murdoch is a Shakespearean comedy of misaligned lovers, minus the spirits and potions. Here the characters are responsible for their own actions, and Murdoch delights in painting these young, middle-aged and elderly adventurers and the psychological processes that direct their actions. Hugh's wife, Fanny, dies after 40 years of marriage; his former lover, Emma, appears at the funeral. Hugh becomes wild to win her love again, while neighbor Mildred (with her gay husband Humphrey's blessing) has designs on Hugh. Hugh's son Randall, meanwhile, is madly in love with Emma's companion/secretary Lindsey who may or may not be having an affair with her employer while Randall's wife Ann yearns for Mildred's brother Felix, who, in turn, has always secretly adored her. But it is the scheming of Miranda, Randall and Ann's teenaged daughter, that ultimately determines the outcomes of their lives, for better and for worse. Cozenove has a deep and melodic reading voice and a charming British accent that work well with this material, though his renditions of Hugh and Emma are a bit too elderly and scratchy for the characters and the story.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
Christopher Cazenove portrays grieving husband Hugh Peronet with English propriety as he attends his wife's funeral. Each sentence of the pastor's resounding eulogy sparks a new trip down memory lane for Peronet. His memories contrast sharply with the idealized relationship spoken of, as he reflects on previous marital affairs. Flashbacks are necessary to understand the plot and characters, but they disrupt the story, which is made up of an intricate web of complex relationships. Cazenove does an excellent job with European, Irish, and English accents, and with the male gender, but he reads the female parts unadorned. The story is not fast paced, but is filled with complicated relationships and ends with a surprising twist. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
