The Great Gatsby

Canadian actor William Hope reads Naxos AudioBooks' first unabridged production of Fitzgerald's classic novel of the Roaring Twenties. It is a book that deserves a perfect reading, and though numerous other narrators have tried—among them Robertson Dean, Anthony Heald, Alexander Scourby, and Tim Robbins—Hope may have come closest to achieving this perfection. He stumbles a bit at the beginning, drawing upon the revelation that narrator Nick Carraway is a Yale man by making the narration somewhat arch, but once he settles down, Hope ably conveys Carraway's optimistic innocence. He also does quite well with the party guests and the gambler Meyer Wolfsheim, faltering only by making Tom Buchanan sound a bit like a gravel-voiced truck driver. Recommended for absolutely everyone, as even those familiar with the novel may notice something new thanks to Hope's nuanced (and only mildly faulty) performance. [Gatz, a live ensemble reading of this classic novel, is currently playing to great reviews.—Ed.]—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.