Daniel Deronda

Don't worry, no one else (outside the English department) has heard of it either. This is a very large human comedy/social commentary reminiscent of Jane Austen, but with more caustic wit. The audiobook format can perform a valuable function by returning obscure but noteworthy works of the past to our attention. But doing so, particularly with a period piece, requires a kind of advocacy on the part of the performer beyond mere transcription. We need to be shown how the writing works. This Nadia May does admirably, making aristocratic nineteenth-century English sound natural and familiar, while projecting a keen awareness of Eliot's humor and irony. DANIEL DERONDA may not catch on or become a BBC mini-series, but anyone who is interested can now hear what it was intended to sound like. J.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine