A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

With a rough-hewn Irish accent, John Lee narrates this classic novel by Ireland's favorite son. Joyce's first novel, this bildungsroman is nothing like his more daunting ULYSSES, but it still shows the wide range of style and tone he used in his writing. Narrating any Joyce text is a demanding task, but Lee pulls it off expertly, not trying to make unique voices for characters, but melding them into a coherent overall reading. Americans not accustomed to an Irish accent may need some time to get used to this narration, but it's worth the effort as Lee's delivery certainly provides the local color of this timeless novel. K.M. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


This masterpiece presents a provocative challenge to the audiobook producer and narrator. As the title suggests, it portrays an Irish poet, Stephen Dedalus, as a youth at the turn of the last century. It progresses from his earliest memories to the present. Its narrative matures as the character, the author in disguise, matures. Just how does one present that orally? Multiple narrators of various ages? One narrator altering his voice as the subject grows up? Naxos has cast a single voice, Jim Norton, who delivers the entire narrative in a single tone of gentle, god-like detachment. In dialogue passages, the characters roar to life in all their stormy Celtic vigor. Thus, Norton takes us inside the soul of the sensitive protagonist while amplifying the color and beauty of Joyce's writing. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine