The House of the Seven Gables

An almost operatic plot told in language that has the precision of architecture makes this classic American tale difficult for many of today's impatient, plot-oriented readers. For this reason, the Naxos production is to be commended. Marinker's enunciation maintains clarity, as well as good momentum. Some ironic nuances escape him, and, at times, he reveals indecision about how much acting to inject into the performance. A case in point is the quavering, falsetto voicing of Aunt Hepzibah. The classical music between breaks is elegant though a couple of transitions are obtrusive and inept. S.B.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Living in the cursed house of Matthew Maule and haunted by their family's past, the Pyncheons slowly watch their fortune dwindle away. But with the arrival of a young family member, they come to believe that all might not be lost. Hawthorne's tale of ancestral retribution and an unsettled home comes to life with Anthony Heald's rendition. Heald's emphasis and rhythm help listeners through the dense prose, which has been known to scare some readers away. With his crisp enunciation and slightly raspy timbre, Heald tackles the more interesting scenes with consistency and energy, improving one's overall experience of this classic work. While there are several moments of inconsistency in Heald's voicings, his overall superior performance makes these only slight distractions. L.E. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Narrator Adam Sims combines a modern clarity and tone with the author's wit, skepticism, and keen observations to make listening to this nineteenth-century literary stew an absolute treat. Published in 1851, in the wake of the success of THE SCARLET LETTER, this multigenerational story of the fictional Pyncheon family is at once a ghost story, a romance, and, above all, an often-biting commentary on New England mores, grudges, and attitudes of the time. It all begins with the cheerful country cousin, Phoebe, moving into the ancient house with the elderly Hepzibah and finding that a daguerreotypist, a ghost, and another cousin are all living under the same roof. Listen closely, and you'll hear Hawthorne's style and rhythms in the works of Faulkner, Lovecraft, and Rod Serling. B.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine