ACCORDING TO QUEENEY

In this outstanding historical novel, Beryl Bainbridge, a five-time nominee for Britain's Booker Prize, continues thoughtfully and logically to reconstruct history. This time we are privy to the last twenty years in the life of Samuel Johnson, not according to Boswell, but ACCORDING TO QUEENEY, the daughter of Johnson's final confidante, Mrs. Thrale. Queeney's droll observations level the adult world's pretensions. Miriam Margolyes converts Johnson's metaphorical "black dog crouching on the landing" into a palpable thing, rather than the chimera it is. Johnson's preoccupation with his own melancholy and his tendency toward masochism are subtly developed by Bainbridge, and brought to life with equal finesse by Margolyes. The union of author, subject, and performance makes this a memorable literary event. Fascinating storytelling. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]