The Warden

The incomparable Simon Vance parses Anthony Trollope's famously circumlocutory, phrase-filled style with aplomb in this first of the Barsetshire novels. In it, we follow Mr. Harding, the kindhearted warden of an old men's poorhouse, who is caught between his ambitious, conservative son-in-law and a reform-minded young man who wants to become his second son-in-law. Trouble ensues when the hapless Mr. Harding tries to avoid unpleasantness by agreeing with everyone. Vance's narrative skills help modern listeners hear the elegance of Trollope's writing and understand the writer's skewering wit. And his ability to create character-revealing accents, from the illiterate grumble of a local farmer to the nasal bray of a highborn clergyman, makes the nineteenth century live in our ears. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2007 Audies Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

September 2, 2013
This first novel in Trollopeâs classic Chronicles of Barsetshire series pits reformer John Bold against Septimus Harding, the precentor of Barchester Cathedral and warden of Hiramâs Hospital, an almshouse supported by a bequest to the local diocese. As Bold works to expose the fact that more of the charityâs income goes to Harding than to its bedesmen, he begins to take a romantic interest in Hardingâs youngest daughter, Eleanor. In this audio edition, narrator David Shaw-Parker delivers a winning performance that keeps listeners engaged throughout. With a deep, accented voice Shaw-Parker brings this 19th-century novel to life. His timing and tone are spot-on and he creates distinct voices for the bookâs many characters.

Hearing Nigel Hawthorne's reading of The Warden is like attending fine theater. In the opening scenes Septimus Harding's sinecure as warden of Barchester hospital's twelve bedesmen is being questioned by young reformer John Bold--a situation complicated by Bold's love for the warden's daughter. Hawthorne's portrayals are so vivid that we see the interplay of characters--from the arrogant archdeacon, Dr. Grantly, and the London lawyer, Sir Abraham Haphazard, to the illiterate stonemason, Abel Handy. In this gentle satire Hawthorne transports us to the predicaments of a mid-nineteenth-century world. And when the curtain falls, we're relieved and delighted that the mild and honorable warden has prevailed. J.H.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine