Flush

Starred review from December 24, 2012
Narrator Eileen Atkins turns in a pitch-perfect performance in this charming audio production of Woolf’s biography of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s spaniel, Flush. The story uses the dog—one of the most famous animals in literary history—as a lens for understanding the travails of his owner, the romantic story of her courtship and marriage to Robert Browning, and the class system of mid-19th-century British society. Atkins adopts the proper tender tones in describing the blossoming relationship between Flush and Elizabeth, who feeds him delicacies from her own hand, but changes her voice to depict Flush’s fury at being displaced by the interloper Robert. Atkins also beautifully captures the sense of freedom—not experienced since puppyhood—Flush feels when he’s set loose from the confining parlors of Wimpole Street and moved to the sunbaked streets of Italy with the newlyweds.

The work of this gifted writer is impeccably read by Gretel Davis. Her rich, English voice is a perfect vehicle for the inner voice of Flush, the very pedigreed cocker spaniel. The canine companion of Elizabeth Barrett, Flush gives an eyewitness account of the developing relationship between his owner and Robert Browning. All that we learn of the two poets and lovers is filtered through Flush. This is anthropomorphism at its most blatant, and it's wonderful in every sense. A love of dogs and romance will enhance the listener's experience, but this recording will have wide appeal regardless. C.A.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine