THE SPORT OF KINGS

C.E. Morgan's novel about Kentucky horse breeders travels a long and winding road to arrive at the meat of the story--the Forge family's desperate effort to breed the next Secretariat. George Newbern's narration reflects that slow Southern pace--but without any of the atmosphere that pulls the listener into the setting. In a few character descriptions Morgan specifically mentions the drawn-out vowels of their speech, and Newbern hints at a Southern accent in these cases but then fails to maintain it. Class and race also play a strong role in the story, but little is done to verbally indicate these differences. Newbern's reading is adequate, but given the protracted story, there's nothing exceptional to keep the listener engaged in the plot's painful lulls. J.F. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2016]