THE DROWNING PEOPLE

First-person narratives are often perfectly suited to audio. When in the opening paragraphs of THE DROWNING PEOPLE, gentlemanly James Farrell confesses to having murded his wife of 45 years, listeners just can't put this story aside for long. Narrator Martin Jarvis immediately makes listeners believe that he's confiding in them alone, then continues to exquisitely describe and portray the characters through Farrell's recollections. With deft nuance, Jarvis's accents reflect not just social class, but also the slight differences in speech of the young aristocrats: Ella Harcourt, raised in America, is played opposite her cousin Sarah, who is entirely British schooled. The production, too, should be highly praised as the subtext of scene changes is deftly handled with the briefest of musical bridges. R.F.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones award © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 99]