April 2009
AUDIO BOOK REVIEWS
by Jonathan Lowe
If the rich are—as it's said—not
like you or me, does our wanting to be
rich mean we agree with the assumption
that we're ignorant, lazy, and/or inept
by comparison? If you want to leave behind
such a delusion, allow the green eyed
monster of envy to be impaled on MADNESS
UNDER THE ROYAL PALMS, a new book by Laurence
Leamer about the sociopathic society mavens,
gluttons and sex fiends of Palm Beach.
Here, scores of beautiful young women
fall prey to the same rich bastards (one
of whom finances their breast implants,
dumps them upon getting bored, and then
sues them for the cost of the operation.)
Here, murders can either be hushed or
trumpeted, depending on one's social standing
with the editor of the "shiny sheet,"
the local paper's society page, which
Palm Beach multi-millionaires read and
worship like the Bible. Then there are
the endless dinner parties and shopping
excursions along Worth Avenue, the trust
fund brats vying for admittance to exclusive
clubs that shun Jews, the old money heirs
gloating over the scandals or downfalls
of rivals, the endless buffets and open
bars at charity balls where one can pretend
to be virtuous while displaying not the
slightest concern for homeless people
living only two miles away from one's
protected mansion/enclave. It all begins
to erode whatever awe or envy the listener
might have entertained, prior to hearing.
Because when narrator Todd McLaren has
finished chronicling all the pretentious
misadventures of the wealthy, (with an
ear for irony) it's difficult not to reevaluate
one's own values. You might even come
away not caring about the rich or famous,
anymore. Or at least not caring (or hoping)
to become one of them. A good companion
to this ear-opening expose would be the
documentary "Ten Questions for the Dalai
Lama," in which the producer concludes
that many of the happiest people on earth
have the fewest possessions of all. An
enigma until you ask yourself this question:
do I really own my stuff, or does my stuff
own me? (Tantor Media; 11 1/2 hours
unabridged) |
If you loved the arcane side of The DaVinci
Code, you'll enjoy Kathleen McGowan's
sequel to "The Expected One" titled THE
BOOK OF LOVE. Her earlier novel fictionally
explored the mysteries of Mary Magdalene,
while this new novel has the character
of Maureen Paschal being invaded by a
dream telling her to search for a missing
gospel written by Jesus himself. Paschal
joins her former lover in France, and
together they begin to piece together
the mystery, following clues which lead
them to Italy and Belgium, while being
blocked from uncovering the truth by those
who want the deepest secrets kept secret.
This densely involved story eventually
climaxes at Chartres Cathedral, after
a lengthy pursuit of the diaries of Countess
Matilda of Tuscany. As a Broadway stage
and film actress, narrator Linda Stevens
does justice to the lengthy text, and
although the book might have been cut
a fourth for pacing's sake, if such historical
postulations involving the church interest
you, you won't be disappointed. (Simon
& Schuster Audio; 22 hours unabridged) |
Mystery authors and publishers are enamored
of series because it's a means of retaining
their audience with continuing characters.
Once you're hooked on a seres, though,
how likely are you to try other series?
And how would you know whether you'd like
another series less or more unless you
try it? This month let's consider Linda
Fairstein's legal thrillers, the 11th
of which is LETHAL LEGACY, featuring an
assistant district attorney named Alexandra
Cooper, who works out of the Manhattan
Sex Crime Unit. Before she became a writer,
Fairstein worked in that very unit for
over twenty years. Her first novel, published
in 1996, introduced the character of Alex
Cooper, and was titled Final Jeopardy.
In this new novel, with a plot involving
rare books and maps, a librarian named
Tina Barr is burglarized by a man posing
as a fireman, but is unwilling to cooperate
with police until a woman is found murdered
in her very apartment building. What follows
is an investigation by Alex into a family
of wealthy benefactors to the New York
Public Library. The novel is not as gritty
or clinical as, say, Patricia Cornwell,
but moves toward cozy with characters
who also display their lighter side. Narrator
is actress Blair Brown, who won a Tony
award on Broadway, and has appeared in
many films. Brown is good at dramatizing
all angles of a character's personality,
hinting at how they think, while steering
the story forward with the appropriate
degree of mystery. As for the series itself,
it's not literature in the sense that
classic series by John D. MacDonald, Ross
MacDonald, or even James Lee Burke are.
Mostly it's believable fun. (Random
House Audio) |
Next, sometimes the simplest language
is the best way to tell a story. In the
case of ENGLISH by Wang Gang, the subject
is language itself. Originally published
in 2004 in China, the novel was a bestseller
there, and concerns a twelve year old
boy named Love Liu who comes of age during
the Cultural Revolution in the town of
Xinjiang in a remote northwest province.
When a teacher from Shanghai arrives to
teach English, Love Liu becomes fascinated
with the prospect of studying an English
dictionary, which opens a new world for
him that he never envisioned in such repressive
times. When accusations are made about
the phrase "down with Chairman Mao" that
appeared written on the wall at the school,
the plot turns to one confrontation and
sacrifice, while revealing the effects
of repression through which maturity can
triumph. Narrator is, appropriately enough,
a young actor named Michael Sun Lee, who
conveys Love Liu's innocent fascination
with remarkable understatement. The book
is about friendship and courage against
the insanity of one's times, and shows
the effects on individuals from policies
that ignore the humanity and dignity that
comes from individuality itself. (Penguin
Audio; 10 hours unabridged) |
Finally, don't miss A STIR OF ECHOES by
Richard Matheson, as read by Scott Brick.
A film starring Kevin Bacon is based on
this novel about a man whose psychic abilities
are awakened so that he can now hear the
thoughts of other people. Then, with his
existence like a waking nightmare, Tom
receives a message from beyond the grave
in a ghost story that's chillingly interpreted
by Brick. Scott told me recently: "Richard
Matheson has been my favorite author since
I was a little kid. Getting asked to narrate
one of his books made my heart skip a
beat. I was literally stunned. I almost
told them, "Don't tease me!" I actually
got to meet Matheson a few days ago at
a book signing, and I continually marvel
at the amount of amazing material that's
come out of that man's head. Somewhere
In Time, The Incredible Shrinking Man,
I Am Legend, Hell House, The Twilight
Zone, Star Trek. . . the list goes
on and on, and never ceases to blow me
away." (Blackstone Audio; 6 1/2 hours
unabridged) |
|