ANIMAL FARM

[Editors' Note: This audiobook is not available in the U.S.]--A gifted mimic and clever narrator, Rupert Degas brings this classic satire vividly to life. His pacing and cadence expertly serve this audiobook. What stays with the listener is his ability to endow its animal characters with their own distinct sounds and accents. Their individuality elevates the narration. The dictator, Napoleon, sounds like a self-satisfied Aussie; Squealer, a stereotypical American urban sleaze, and Boxer, the hardworking horse, a working-class Englishman. Old Major, the aged boar whose speech initiates the proceedings, has a wise, gravelly tone that suits his revolutionary message. This witty and engaging send-up of authoritarianism's perils comes at an opportune time. These days Orwell's anti-Stalinist fable rings true, and this audiobook satisfies on every level. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2022]