FALSE DAWN

This audio novella is a gem. The force and precision of Wharton's language are brought vividly to life by Jacobi, an actor whose beautiful voice you recognize only for an instant before you both submerge in the story. Wharton doesn't waste a word, or even a pause, and I had to hear the first cassette twice before I understood exactly who was doing what to whom. Which is not a criticism, since I relished the second listening as I had the first. The wrenching conclusion will break your heart and then clear your head. Edith Wharton died in 1937, but this classic is evergreen. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 01]