From Library Journal
Norma West unevenly narrates Michaels's (The Dancing Floor, Audio Reviews, LJ 5/1/98) historical romance. Table-turning, a familiar party game in the better circles of Victorian London, turns all too real for ingenue Marianne Ransom. The innocent, country-bred girl, a guest of a wealthy duchess, discovers that her body acts as a spirit channel. Suddenly her parentage is called into question, along with other concerns that certain people would prefer to leave unanswered. Unfortunately, narrator Norma West doesn't have the repertoire of voices required for this book. Although her depiction of Marianne is letter-perfect, the other characters require greater nuances than West is able to effect. Male voices are particularly troublesome. Too close attention is required to discern the identity of the male speakers. The story itself is neither particularly memorable nor terribly believable. Not a necessary purchase.?Jodi L. Israel, Jamaica Plain, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Seances and signs from the dead are the themes of THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. Naïve heroine Marianne Ransom, now an orphan, is befriended by a wealthy duchess who believes Marianne is the daughter of her dead mystic, David Holmes, and that the girl can summon her "father." Norma West creates delicate, soft voices for the duchess and Marianne, whose dainty tones are lost to outside noises. Her male characters are exuberant and much louder, causing the listener to constantly change the volume. Nevertheless, West captures the naïveté and learned haughtiness of Marianne and maintains the tension of the story line as the duchess seeks the other world and the remaining characters play along. Romance also hides within the mores of this Victorian Gothic. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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