Winesburg, Ohio

Sherwood Anderson has been considered the inspiration for American storytelling. Narrator George Guidall perfectly presents the multitude of sketches that make up the town and novel. Diverse generations, class and educational levels, as well as male and female voices, are all realistically handled. It seems likely that the author would have read his work in much the same way that Guidall does. Because this is from a time of different reading and writing styles, the audio version enhances what may be dull reading for a contemporary audience. S.G.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Sherwood Anderson provides a voyeuristic look into the lives of small-town folks in 1919. Each of the 23 stories in this classic can stand alone, but all come together, as well, demonstrating how one life affects so many others. Townspeople are seen through the eyes of writer-reporter George Willard, either directly through his observations, or indirectly. The variation in narrators can be distracting, although all but one are exceptional. Also, the dialogue portions of each vignette are handled by a performer different from the narrator for the non-dialogue portions of the vignette, and this continual shifting of voices also detracts from the flow of the story. The performance is nicely packaged, though, with appropriate theme music between each of the 23 chapters. All told, a touching collection. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine