ON HIS OWN TERMS A Life of Nelson Rockefeller

Narrator Paul Michael is a good companion for the long haul; he helps keep this lengthy, detailed biography interesting and enjoyable. His voice is likable, and he handles pacing, the matching of tone to sense, and the intelligent shaping of sentences with an easy facility. His reading is sober without being drab and avoids theatricality, something welcome in serious nonfiction, especially at this length. Though his impersonations of Henry Kissinger are unconvincing, he makes generally adept use of chances to "do a voice." A minor failing is his pronunciation of foreign words and names. While mostly correct, they're delivered with a hesitation that makes them sound awkward. Still, his skilled reading keeps this long life story engaging. W.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2014]