From Publishers Weekly
A grandfatherly gruffness has crept into the speech of the septuagenarian Doctorow. His aging voice is not at all amiss, for Doctorow's essays on literary and other creative minds (such as Harpo Marx and Albert Einstein) contain the sort of wisdom that should be passed on to the young. Doctorow's canonical choices (Melville, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Harriet Beecher Stowe) will make the listener feel well read as well as amused and enlightened. The essays are best taken one at a time, for Doctorow reads slowly and without affect. He even refuses to draw attention to his often wry remarks, as when he calls Edgar Allan Poe "not exactly the boy next door." Most essays begins on a new track, but this is not always the case, so unfortunately, listeners who have had enough of Ishmael or Jay Gatsby will have to fast forward to find the starting point of the next piece. Doctorow's gentle wisdom will remind listeners of what they liked about their favorite teacher: both knowledge and humor without a trace of pomposity. This is an audio to savor and then to pass down to children or grandchildren who know
Jaws but not
Moby Dick.
Copyright© American Library Association. All rights reserved
--Ce texte provient de la
Audio CD
édition.
From AudioFile
Doctorow's voice is rich and deep and full of intelligence, inviting the reader to attend to what he says. It's a pleasure to hear him speak, and seem also to think his way through, this collection of 16 essays, gathered from his introductions, reviews, and public lectures. The writings themselves explore creativity, mostly literary--with selections on Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Sinclair Lewis, and Ernest Hemingway. A few pieces discuss creative acts in other spheres, as well--Harpo Marx, Albert Einstein. These personal reflections are not anchored by tight, formal theses; rather, they create a context for making stimulating observations on their topics and are well presented in Doctorow's smart reading. G.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--Ce texte provient de la
Audio CD
édition.
