SIR HARRY HOTSPUR OF HUMBLETHWAITE

In this finely crafted 1870 novel, Sir Harry does every honorable thing in his power to prevent the union of his beloved daughter and the despicable fortune hunter who courts her. Irony abounds as Sir Harry's own victory defeats him. No writer observed more closely or more wryly the ruling classes of Victorian England than Anthony Trollope--nor wrote about them with such consummate craftsmanship. This tale, if not his happiest, is nonetheless one of his most absorbing, and Tony Britton superbly delivers its richness. In him we have one of those voices that gently compels us to listen, plus a keen intelligence and mastery of technique. He expresses every nuance of the lines with effortless precision. If he errs, it's in having more empathy with the characters than their author did. Even so, he restrains the impulse enough to spare us the tears of the heartbroken daughter, or the full thrust of Sir Harry's ire at her profligate suitor. By so doing, he dilutes the force of the climactic passages but greatly adds to the overall poignancy. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]