GOLDEN AGE

The third installment of Smiley's Last Hundred Years trilogy is beautifully performed by Lorelei King, whose pleasant voice and easy cadence make for a delightful listen. Her vocals dance across the final volume of this family saga with a lively pace and clear tone. The broad cast of characters is nimbly presented, thanks to her skill with varied personalities. An interesting thing to note is the value of hearing the first two volumes before this final one; understandably, there's quite a lot of history to the Langdon family's story, and trying to catch up via audio performance, no matter how fine, can be daunting. This audiobook is another Smiley classic--listen to the first two to truly embrace this third. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2015]