Daniel Deronda

Don't worry, no one else (outside the English department) has heard of it either. This is a very large human comedy/social commentary reminiscent of Jane Austen, but with more caustic wit. The audiobook format can perform a valuable function by returning obscure but noteworthy works of the past to our attention. But doing so, particularly with a period piece, requires a kind of advocacy on the part of the performer beyond mere transcription. We need to be shown how the writing works. This Nadia May does admirably, making aristocratic nineteenth-century English sound natural and familiar, while projecting a keen awareness of Eliot's humor and irony. DANIEL DERONDA may not catch on or become a BBC mini-series, but anyone who is interested can now hear what it was intended to sound like. J.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

In her lifetime, Marian Evans (1819-80) was celebrated under her pen name of George Eliot as England's greatest living novelist. Today, she is known primarily as the bane of school kids who, having SILAS MARNER thrust down their throats, learn to despise the written word. Dove seeks to make palatable this dreaded tome, about an idealistic orphan who discovers his Jewish heritage in the course of rescuing a Jewish singer and giving succor to the beautiful Gwendolen, who is trapped in a bad marriage. Like Beacham, Bron negotiates the author's difficult locutions with comprehension and aplomb. Unfortunately her Masterpiece Theaterish delivery loses some of Eliot's personality. However, she so masterfully and assuredly puts across the text and so insightfully presents the characters that we can forgive her the lapse into the prevailing fashion. If you're a former school kid wondering just what the heck makes this novel living literature, you may find out by picking up this audiobook. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

It's difficult to overstate the quality of this work. The precision with which narrator Juliet Stevenson brings each character to life is impressive. Each of them--the long-suffering Gwendolyn, the singular Mirah, even the altruistic Daniel himself--lives as a distinct personality in the telling of the story. Listening to Stevenson, one notes that the effectiveness of her presentation is due in large part to her understanding of George Eliot's work. Far from being a story of star-crossed lovers, the novel explores the trappings of desire, consequences, and Victorian England's reception of those of the Jewish faith. Stevenson's thoughtful treatment of the audiobook's emotion and commentary merits the 36 hours it spans, even for those already familiar with Eliot. N.J.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine