Kane and Abel

William Lowell Kane, Boston millionaire and heir to a banking empire, and Able Rosnovski, penniless immigrant who becomes a millionaire, try to destroy each other as their lives are intertwined with business deals and rivalry. Pacey's narration is smooth and well paced as he switches from Polish accents to Bostonian, New York and Chicago pronunciations. The women are soft-spoken; the men are credibly personified, according to their characters. Despite numerous editing glitches and annoying static, the listener will wish to hear how these two men and their families fare in their "star-crossed" lives. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine


There's always a line beyond which an abridgment is more aptly called a short story. This production unfortunately crosses that line. This variation on the biblical story is thoroughly entertaining, and Jeff Harding's reading adds to the experience. Harding has a lively style that fits the novel, and he uses different accents effectively. The problem is that by reducing a 592-page book to a three-hour recording, too much is left out. By the end, the listener wants to know so much more about the characters, particularly Abel Rosnovski, who, both on the printed page and in Harding's performance, epitomizes the immigrant struggles and successes that define the American dream. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine