Barchester Chronicles

In these BBC Radio dramatizations of Trollope's Victorian novels of Barsetshire, a fictional county in southern England, distinctive vocal characterizations, careful adaptations, and accomplished acting allow the listener to follow these interconnected stories of conflicts and maneuverings ecclesiastical, political, social, and romantic. Background sounds and music enhance the program, although some musical cues are pointless and out of place. Periodic aural blank spots, and "radio tuning" sounds between some tracks mar otherwise good production values. The dramatizations necessarily lose Trollope's narrative voice and linguistic complexity, and can, at times, smack of soap opera. But non-purists will find this program an entertainment that, despite its length, ends all too soon. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine