The Man Who Loved Children

This minute examination of the life of a lethally dysfunctional family is told in a gush of extravagant language such is not heard in the age of television. All but the youngest characters hold forth like orators in an Irish pub. It's the sort of thing one either loves or hates. Those who love it will find this recording by C.M. Herbert completely satisfactory. She takes the sprawling twenty-one-hour text in stride, giving every word its proper attention and showing great sensitivity to the emotional content (usually high) of every line of dialogue. She doesn't vary the sound of her voice greatly but, nonetheless, gives each character a distinctive tone. J.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine