Red Diaper Baby

disappointment

Revisado: 01-29-25

I love the works of Georgette Heyer, and enjoy listening to them over and over. So I was delighted when Penguin started reissuing them, and i could hear them interpreted by new artists. But I have been very disappointed by the readings of “sylvester” and “Venetia” by Jama Wheelan; far inferior to the earlier performances of these books by Phyllis’s Nash. Her interpretation of the characters and their feelings is unimaginative and flat, lacking the charm and animation is Nash’s rendering. In the scene when Mr Beaumaris visits Arabella’s brother at his cheap inn near the end of the novel, both of them sound almost angry with each other, especially Mr Beaumaris, which distorts the character and the relationship. I will avoid any more books narrated by Jama Wheelan.

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Frederica is a favorite

Revisado: 01-20-22

I love the story and characrers. The narrator does very well. I could listen to it again and again.

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Interesting book, unqualified narrator

Revisado: 06-15-21

Those who are interested in Jewish history will find this history of the secret Jews of Spain a valuable resource. Forced to convert to Christianity by violent pogroms, these people were then subjected to persecution because the sincerity of their conversion was doubted. It's a long and complex story. told with much detail (sometimes too much). A story definitely worth attention. Unfortunately, the narrator frequently has marked difficulty pronouncing the names of people and places. I have over a hundred titles from Audible. This is only the second time I have had to write that the poor choice narrator substantially affected my enjoyment of the book. I wanted to rate it zero stars for performance, but that isn't allowed.

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Very inadequate narrator

Revisado: 05-26-15

Having paid for an audiobook which is in the public domain and can be heard from volunteer readers on the web, I expected a really excellent narrator in this version. I feel quite cheated. The reader is passable when he understands what he is reading, but he is unfamiliar with nineteenth century British English and sometimes trips over things that differ from modern American.

More importantly, he is unfamiliar with biological terminology, which he often mispronounces. I was stimulated to write this review by an outrageous howler (which he did not repeat the next time the word occurred, to give him credit).

He read "quadruped" - not a particularly esoteric word - with two syllables, as "quad-roopt" Goodness knows what he was thinking! "I quadrupe, you quadrupe, he quadrupes. . . " What on earth would that mean?

As for the book itself, it is charming and informative, as I expected. Wish I could say the same for the narrator.

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Bias and sloppiness

Revisado: 05-10-15

I've been studying the Reformation quite intensively, especially in England. Many people who write about religious subjects don't disclose their own religious commitment, though the most honest ones do. I always listen for indications of bias. I've never heard it so blatant as in chapter 10 of this work though I had wondered before in earlier chapters, hearing certain word choices, and tones of voice.

In Chapter 10 Madden flatly says:

1) that Catherine of Aragon's marriage to Arthur (Henry VIII's brother) was unconsumated because she was too young (born in 1485, betrothed at age 3, married in 1501 at age 15 or 16).

2) that Henry's motive for dissolution of the monasteries was solely greed for their money and that monks and nuns were lined up and forced to marry.

3) that Henry's biblical ground for believing his marriage to Catherine was unlawful, Leviticus 20:21. applies only to cases of divorce, not widowhood.

I have never before come across any author, of any background, saying or even hinting these things. Most acknowledge that Henry and Catherine told different stories about the consummation of her first marriage. Most acknowledge the financial motive in the dissolution, but also recognize the Protestant influence of Anne Bolyn and Thomas Cromwell. The story of monks and nuns being lined up for forced marriage seems unbelievable on its face and I've never heard of it before. As for the Bible, Madden cites Deuteronomy 25:5-6 though it's actually stronger than what he says; it commands a man to marry the childless widow of his dead brother, specifically to provide an heir for the dead. But I've never heard of anyone else saying that Leviticus 20:21 applies only to divorce, which is what he claims.

Throughout the work, Madden is trying to cover a lot of ground in a brief time, and is often rather sloppy in his summaries. But in this chapter he is either ignorant of the field or deliberately engaged in special pleading for the Roman Catholic supporters of Catherine of Aragon and Mary Tudor. Most historians give a taste of all points of view; here Madden does not even acknowledge other possible ideas.

p.s. Another clear case of bias is that he blames the St Bartholomew's day massacre soley on Catherine de'Medici, not even acknowledging other possible culprits, of whom there were several. He makes no mention of Pope Gregory's public approval of the massacre.

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bad voices

Revisado: 01-10-15

Again in this sequel, the narrator has spoiled the hero, Vidal, with a voice which is nasal, sometimes almost whining. None of the charm which is implicit in the character; he sounds unpleasant and repulsive. When Avon appears near then end, thank goodness his voice is not the absolutely awful voice the same narrator used for him in the preceding novel (These Old Shades), but still lacks the charm and depth such a character requires. He does many other characters and voices well, mixes French and English together fluently, and shows considerable skill. But why does he make the heroes of these two novels so thin and unlikable?

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Narrator's mistake

Revisado: 01-10-15

This narrator seems capable of many voices. Why did he choose such an ugly and inappropriate voice for Avon, the chief character? It is high and grating, almost shouting, with little of the nuance and irony essential to the character, none of the suave drawl which is even mentioned in the text. It spoils a story which would otherwise be enchanting.

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needs table of contents

Revisado: 11-21-14

This recording would be much more useful if there were a downloadable listing of the texts and their locations in the recording. The only way currently available is to listen through texts you don't want to hear until you find the one you want and bookmark it. Very frustrating!

This recording uses the Erasmian pronunciation used by scholars and seminaries. It certainly doesn't sound like someone reading their native language. On the other hand, its clarity is very helpful to the new student who is struggling with the alphabet and pronunciation of the New Testament. Another review criticized the pronunciation because it differs from modern Greek; certainly that's true, but it's not necessarily a drawback, depending on what you want it for.

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