From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up--Students of the classics will appreciate Ron Keith's excellent rendition of Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure novel, set against the background of the War of the Roses. The time is 15th century England, and Richard Shelton, the young hero, overcomes one obstacle after another in his quest to rescue Joanna, his love. British actor Keith's talented voice gives life to Shelton, his friends, and his enemies, delivering the old fashioned English with ease and precise diction. The unusual vocabulary can usually be understood in context. Keith's slightly nasal, raspy, resonant voice changes frequently to differentiate between the characters, varying from bass to treble. He changes tones to express a full range of emotions. Songs are not a problem for Keith, as he knows the melody for each. Consider this audiobook for purchase where Stevenson is part of the curriculum.
Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description
No one but myself knows what I have suffered, nor what my books have gained, by your unsleeping watchfulness and admirable pertinacity. And now here is a volume that goes into the world and lacks your imprimatur: a strange thing in our joint lives; and the reason of it stranger still! I have watched with interest, with pain, and at length with amusement, your unavailing attempts to peruse The Black Arrow; and I think I should lack humour indeed, if I let the occasion slip and did not place your name in the fly-leaf of the only book of mine that you have never read--and never will read. That others may display more constancy is still my hope. The tale was written years ago for a particular audience and (I may say) in rivalry with a particular author; I think I should do well to name him, Mr. Alfred R. Phillips. It was not without its reward at the time. I could not, indeed, displace Mr. Phillips from his well-won priority; but in the eyes of readers who thought less than nothing of Treasure Island, The Black Arrow was supposed to mark a clear advance. Those who read volumes and those who read story papers belong to different worlds. The verdict on Treasure Island was reversed in the other court; I wonder, will it be the same with its successor?