cover image Apologize, Apologize!

Apologize, Apologize!

Elizabeth Kelly, , read by Jeff Woodman. . HighBridge, $34.95 ( , unabridged, nine CDs, 10.25 hrs., $34.95 ISBN p) ISBN 978-1-59887-864-6

Jeff Woodman creates an excellent portrayal of a painfully self-conscious young man trapped in a charismatic but violently dysfunctional family sequestered with their dozen dogs in a house on Martha's Vineyard. He renders the various members of the family—the wealthy and obnoxious grandfather, the ever-drunk, ever-vicious father and uncle, the nutty Marxist mother—with artistry and enthusiasm. Any weakness in this performance is due to the novel's failings: the characters are stereotypes, the style overburdened with similes and digressive anecdotes satirizing contemporary literature. Despite Woodman's considerable skill and best efforts, this listening disappoints. A Twelve hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 10). (Mar.)