THE EIGHTH LIFE

This huge, important novel is mesmerizing on audio, thanks to the range and judgment demonstrated in Tavia Gilbert's remarkable performance. She even sings beautifully, which matters at points in this saga detailing "the red century" through the lives of one family in Russian, then Soviet, Georgia. Haratischvili starts with a prosperous confectioner in Tiblisi in 1900. So far so sweet. But as the empire falls and wars and totalitarian pressures take hold, the family fractures in new and terrible ways with each generation. Gilbert manages shifts among sexes and ages adroitly, and almost completely avoids traps posed by foreign accents, concentrating instead on vividly portraying the emotional lives of these fascinating characters. Haratischvili's ambition here is Tolstoyan, and her moving achievement will widen your world. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]