Hissing Cousins

Suzanne Toren's fine rendition of this engaging biography of two equally famous but vastly different women is one of the unqualified pleasures among this spring's listening delights. Marc Peyser and Timothy Dwyer have done an exemplary job of reconstructing a neglected subplot in the Roosevelt family saga, and Toren brings charm, vigor, and a congenial lilt to a narrative that isn't nearly as biting or contentious as the title may imply--though, it turns out, is biting and contentious enough. Here we trace the true political legacy of Teddy Roosevelt as his daughter Alice and niece Eleanor assume very different roles on the Washington stage. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine