Middlemarch

This rendition of MIDDLEMARCH has much the feeling of a "Masterpiece Theatre" production. Carole Boyd is a very professional narrator, who never falls into mere reading. She maintains a comfortable pace, and the tone she sets, along with the classical music that provides a bridge between tapes, creates a mood that is appropriate for the formality of the writing and the times. The abridgment is smooth and seamless. The music is nicely selected, but it would be helpful to also have notice that a side of a cassette is ending. While the music doesn't work well to cue cassette endings, it works successfully when used as a narrative segue. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine


George Eliot's novels often involve a kaleidoscope of characters, and MIDDLEMARCH is no exception. Dorothea and Rosamond are two young women whose marriages lead to inevitable conflict. The big themes involving social and personal responsibility, fate, and morality recur again and again as the listener meets the colorful residents whose lives are knit into those of Dorothea and Rosamond. Kate Reading handles the lively, often complex, prose with alacrity, dancing along Eliot's witty commentary with engaging skill. The novel is certainly long, but the diligent listener is rewarded with a story full of twists and turns. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine