The Man without a Face

Justine Eyre's narration of Russian President Putin's rise to power is competent. As related by Gessen, a Soviet-born reporter who lives in Moscow, Putin was a lower-level KGB officer who was picked at random to be Boris Yeltsin's president. It's no surprise the former spymaster is a thug. Gessen's research is thorough, giving great insights into Putin. Eyre begins slowly, even having trouble with Russian words at first. While she affects a decent Russian accent for dialogue, she gives anglicized pronunciation to some Russian words or place names, an inconsistency that is distracting. Throughout the course of her performance she seems to become more comfortable, but, overall, one wonders if someone else would have been a better match for this work. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

August 1, 2012

Promoted as the man to lead Russia's new democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union, former KGB agent Vladimir Putin initially brought hope to his people and the world at large. According to Gessen (Perfect Rigor), a journalist living in Russia, this hope was misplaced in a man who is little more than a greedy KGB thug. This narrative nonfiction title presents a courageous indictment of Putin's rise to power and his dismantling of Russia's fledgling democratic institutions. Through her probing investigation, Gessen reveals Putin's involvement in several assassinations of dissidents as well as incidents of governmental abuse of power. Justine Eyre's narration captures the Russian accents and adds drama to the story. VERDICT This book will appeal to listeners with an interest in Russia and current world affairs. [The Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA) hc was a New York Times best seller.--Ed.]--Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

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