THE TUTOR

Both Chapin's novel and Elizabeth Knowelden's performance are competent but not deeply engaging in this story of a chance relationship between William Shakespeare and the noblewoman Katharine de L'Isle. The story is the primary problem, as the relationship seems to move forward by the author's assertion rather than by any true growth, change, or deep feeling on the part of the characters. In such cases, truly great narrators can often tip the balance and make a book more than it would otherwise be, but Knowelden--talented as she is with voices and accents--fails to imbue Chapin's story with any greater feeling or emotional truth than is present in the words themselves. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2015]