MAD, BAD & DANGEROUS TO KNOW

Primarily narrated by Soneela Nankani, this audiobook features contemporary teenagers Khayyam and Alexandre. Even though they come from different countries, the two work together to solve a historical mystery that centers on a handful of literary and artistic celebrities. Nankani expertly performs the contemporary characters, capturing both the American, French, and Indian Khayyam and the thoroughly Parisian Alexandre. Nankani decisively places the listener in current-day France. Her contemporary voices juxtapose well with narrator Leila Buck's poignant portrayals of nineteenth-century figures, most notably the teenaged courtesan, whose voice Buck infuses with deep emotion. This is an enjoyable story, and one is further entertained by Nankani's and Buck's performances. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2020]