THE RETURN OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 1783-1789

Larson is an exceptionally fine historian, storyteller, and prose master, and Mark Bramhall amplifies those qualities in his restrained and expertly paced narration. Wisely—thankfully—Bramhall doesn’t attempt to reproduce the voices of Washington or others but through subtle changes in tone and inflection suggests character, temperament, and state of mind. On the page, eighteenth-century rhetoric can be difficult to parse from writer to writer, and for that reason alone an audio performance is a convenience and an enhancement. Here, too, Washington—remote and passive as a historical figure—comes to life as a farmer, botanist, landowner, politician, and man you’d like to spend an evening with. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2014]