DAISY MILLER

Narrator Kitty Hendrix deftly transports listeners to the aristocratic echelon of Europe in this 1879 classic. American Frederick Winterbourne and his Aunt Costello are at a hotel in Switzerland when he observes the beautiful young American of the title. Hendrix outdoes herself with both male characters during an amusing conversation between Daisy’s younger brother, Randolph, and Winterbourne, who is seeking to learn all about her. Hendrix's rendering of the opulent setting gives listeners a glimpse of a bygone era as Daisy dates Winterbourne and an Italian suitor named Giovanelli, which shocks almost everyone. Most aghast is Aunt Costello, who is portrayed perfectly as the old-fashioned snob she is. Class and cultural differences don’t matter to Daisy, who resents everyone's interference. Hendrix is spot-on with an array of accents, Winterbourne's and Giovanelli's reactions to Daisy, and the tragic conclusion. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2017]