Notre-Dame

Ken Follett doesn't usually narrate his own works, something many will regret after listening to his fine performance of this short audiobook history of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Written in response to 2019's devastating fire, Follett's narrative has a personal investment lacking in many histories and, at the same time, a factual authority absent in many narratives based on a contemporary event. Just over an hour long, this historical essay is a series of brief chapters on cathedral building, the career of Victor Hugo, Charles de Gaulle's return to Paris in 1944, and more. Informative, enlightening glimpses of a rich history are performed with deep affection and skill. D.A.W. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine