Skeletons at the Feast

Chris Bohjalian paints with a darker palette than in previous works, concentrating on life's moral ambiguities. His story takes place in a landscape ravaged by WWII, across which two groups of characters must travel. One group includes female concentration camp survivors on a forced march; the other group--consisting of a Prussian princess, a Scots prisoner of war, and a Jew masquerading as a Nazi--is escaping the Russian Army. Mark Bramhall's measured, even pacing, confident use of accents, and resonant voice make him an ideal choice as narrator. His intimate, slightly theatrical, approach serves as an effective counterbalance to the novel's brutal and harrowing episodes. The result is a well-told, richly detailed audiobook. R.W.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 30, 2008
Bohjalian's rousing tale of three young Jews—Anna, Callum and Uri—who must trek from Warsaw to reach Allied lines is stunningly vivid. Whether it is the troubled lovers whose relationship is put to the test given the disquiet and unrest that abounds throughout much of Europe, or the mysterious stranger who guides them through it all, Mark Bramhall has no trouble stepping into character and giving his listeners a blazing experience. Bramhall reads with a sturdy tone, steeped in anger and sadness, a perfect fit for Bohjalian's poignant tale. Giving a voice to nameless victims of the Holocaust, Bramhall's reading is haunting and memorable. A Shaye Areheart hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 4).

September 1, 2008
Bohjalian (The Double Bind) leaves his traditional Vermont milieu for this well-crafted, deeply moving historical novel in which he traces the last months of World War II Germany through various lives, masterfully describing landscape and struggle. Narrator Mark Bramhall (An Atomic Romance) easily moves among accents and between genders. Bohjalian fans will applaud; highly recommended. [Also available from Random House Audio as a retail ed. unabridged CD (ISBN LJ 5/1/08.Ed.]Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, NY

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