THE BIOGRAPHER'S TALE

We should all be grateful that the inimitable Simon Prebble is now narrating Dame A.S. Byatt, Booker Prize-winning author of strange, comic, and complex tales that challenge and reward readers. Prebble elucidates the many layers of THE BIOGRAPHER'S TALE--a story within a story about Phineas G., who becomes lost in a labyrinth of information when he tries to write a biography of a biographer who may or may not have been a liar. Byatt intentionally mystifies readers with the myriad bits of data that inundate Phineas, but with Prebble's guiding differentiations of speech pattern, accent, and pacing the listener is never lost. By lightening his voice and pausing to let us get the joke, Prebble also emphasizes the humor in this rueful story. It's well-nigh perfect. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]