The Envoy

The last Nazi attempt to destroy European Jewry--in Hungary, 1944 to 1945--was partly foiled by diplomats from neutral countries. Prominent among them was Raoul Wallenberg, who essentially declared many Jews honorary Swedes. George Guidall narrates the harrowing story with graceful urgency. His rich, crisp, slightly dark-toned voice is sensitive to the text without adding unneeded emotion. To indicate the European quality of quoted speech, he uses clipped consonants and sharply precise diction. Nonetheless, Guidall's understated tact conveys a story of tragic nobility in the midst of soul-destroying brutality. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine