A Dog For Life

Brian Butler's distinctive baritone and sure, fully voiced performance enhance the story of brothers John and Tom and their dog, Mouse. After Tom is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, the family decides that "Mouse must go." John takes a secret journey to find the dog a new home. Butler's vocal characterizations infuse the story with good pacing and inflection. He is especially good at giving comic tones to the eccentric characters that John and Mouse meet, including new friends, charlatans, gypsies, and a long-lost uncle. The title A DOG FOR LIFE is layered with meaning as Mouse and John demonstrate love, strength, and courage in a work that is part fantasy, part adventure story. L.D.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

December 11, 2006
Butler's pronunciation is so crisp, clear and perfect that at times, it is a bit distracting. His enthusiastic impression of John Hawkins, the protagonist of Matthews's (Fish
) latest book, suffers a bit from this overarticulation. John, who runs away with his dog, Mouse, in order to save both Mouse and his very ill brother, is a likeable character, and in many ways, Butler is right for the job. Energy-wise his portrayal of John's chipper and sometimes naive personality seems right on the mark. But John's narration is never quite natural. It is a bit stilted, as if being read for the first time. Butler's range with female voices seems limited to the comical, which is appropriate in most cases, except with Mouse. Thankfully, he doesn't give her one of those farcical voices, but listeners do need to keep reminding themselves that Mouse is a she. Despite the imperfect match-up of reader and material, this production remains an engaging listening experience. Ages 10-up.