THE CHILDREN ACT

McEwan is a novelist for “thinking readers,” and Lindsay Duncan could be considered a narrator for “thinking listeners.” This audiobook, then, features a suitable match. Duncan lends her voice to Fiona, a skilled, committed London High Court judge whose dedication to her work earns her wide respect. At home, however, Fiona’s marriage is disintegrating, and she’s left feeling unmoored and fraught with self-doubt. Duncan’s voice has a maturity and pragmatism that suit Fiona’s characterization. Even as Fiona copes with difficult cases involving children and returns home to an empty house, Duncan remains steady and never maudlin. One can fully imagine Fiona retaining her dignity in the presence of these personal and professional storms, and so Duncan succeeds in this high-quality audiobook. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2014]