WHEN CHARACTER WAS KING

Written and read with warmth, this biographical portrait of Ronald Reagan presents an admiration for Reagan not evident in her memoir of her time in his administration. Peggy Noonan, best known as a wordsmith for Reagan and Bush Senior, is also an excellent reader. Her voice is clear and pleasing to the ear, and she successfully communicates the emotive intent of her words. A New Yorker, her voice is upper-class mid-town Manhattan. This book is not pure biography because she also describes in detail her interaction with Reagan. A touching passage is her description of seeing Reagan in 1994 and introducing her young son to the president who no longer remembered her. M.L.C. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]