Emma

Emma Wodehouse, while eschewing marriage for herself, has no compunctions about making matches for others. No one creates silly English characters better than Austen, and Wanda McCaddon is up to the challenge of presenting them in all their inanity, especially as she reads dialogue. She's equally adept at portraying the multitude of characters that people the village of Highbury--whether male or female; upper, middle, or lower class; likable or unlikable. The plot itself might sag a bit in the middle, but it rights itself by the end with several satisfying chapters that resolve all the romantic couplings, including Emma's own. As Emma grows into a more thoughtful young woman, McCaddon's narration reflects her maturation. S.S.R. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


Taking an academic tone, Stevenson's solemn reading, punctuated by interludes of classical music, gives the listener a feeling of being educated, rather than entertained. The abridgment is somewhat awkward at times and, though faithful to the story, loses track of the lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek tone that Austen had in mind. Stevenson's Emma sometimes comes off as mean or unpleasant in dialogues that were meant to poke fun at her capricious ideas. Though well paced and nicely produced, it's a little heavy-handed for a story meant more as comedy than drama. K.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine