THE GREAT GATSBY

This iteration of Fitzgerald’s classic tale of the Jazz Age, and the decadence that accompanied it, shines as a result of Robertson Dean’s superb performance. Dean, whose well-paced baritone meshes flawlessly with the book’s dialogue, evokes images of classic newscasters, who could relate any story or event as though they were anonymous interlopers. At its simplest, GATSBY is a celebration of excess, but it is far more. The novel is filled with brilliant dialogue, which Dean clearly relishes. In addition, the book is a complex character study, focusing not only on Jay Gatsby himself but also on narrator Nick Carraway and on Daisy Fay Buchanan, the love of Gatsby’s life. Each of their worlds comes to life in this memorable performance. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]