Insight

Based on more than fifty years of helping others, Sylvia Browne's compact primer on the psychic world is impressive. At times sounding like a therapist, at times like a spiritual leader, she has a humanitarian orientation that makes her sound believable and inviting. First she has to review her accomplishments to earn the listener's trust, but she does so with warmth and humility. Sadly, narrator Jeannie Hackett's manner and pace take this material to the edge of smugness. She risks making the author sound like a know-it-all. Still, Hackett moderates her vocal formality with delicacy, and by the end of this fascinating program many listeners will be convinced of the author's legitimacy. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine