An Unofficial Rose
Product Description Christopher Cazenove, one of England's finest actors, has starred on stage and TV in the US and Great Britain. He most recently starred in A Knight's Tale, Eye of the Needle and Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill. His reading of An Unofficial Rose brings the comedic tone to life. Iris Murdoch's novel deploys her gift of high comedy in a new field. she directs her wit, her irony, and her dazzling, often disturbing insights upon the complex life of a family. In doing so, she has produced what is in essence,a traditional "family novel." Iris Murdoch reveals a group of related lives that gravitate together like island universes. Listeners will be surprised by the resulting story. From Publishers Weekly This 1986 Murdoch is a Shakespearean comedy of misaligned lovers, minus the spirits and potions. Here the characters are responsible for their own actions, and Murdoch delights in painting these young, middle-aged and elderly adventurers and the psychological processes that direct their actions. Hugh's wife, Fanny, dies after 40 years of marriage; his former lover, Emma, appears at the funeral. Hugh becomes wild to win her love again, while neighbor Mildred (with her gay husband Humphrey's blessing) has designs on Hugh. Hugh's son Randall, meanwhile, is madly in love with Emma's companion/secretary Lindsey who may or may not be having an affair with her employer while Randall's wife Ann yearns for Mildred's brother Felix, who, in turn, has always secretly adored her. But it is the scheming of Miranda, Randall and Ann's teenaged daughter, that ultimately determines the outcomes of their lives, for better and for worse. Cozenove has a deep and melodic reading voice and a charming British accent that work well with this material, though his renditions of Hugh and Emma are a bit too elderly and scratchy for the characters and the story. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From the Publisher Iris Murdoch's 24th novel, a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller, explores the meaning of life in a story of love and betrayal, faith and doubt. "Murdoch works with an intellectual daring most writers only dream of." - The Philadelphia Inquirer About the Author The late Iris Murdoch was an author of universal acclaim. Her novels tackled everyday ethical and moral concerns, exploring the function of myth in making sense of one's life. She won the Booker prize in 1978 for The Sea, The sea. In addition to books, she was also a playwright, her most successful play being "Servants and the Snow." Most recently, her husband wrote and participated in the film dedicated to her life and works. From AudioFile Christopher Cazenove portrays grieving husband Hugh Peronet with English propriety as he attends his wife's funeral. Each sentence of the pastor's resounding eulogy sparks a new trip down memory lane for Peronet. His memories contrast sharply with the idealized relationship spoken of, as he reflects on previous marital affairs. Flashbacks are necessary to understand the plot and characters, but they disrupt the story, which is made up of an intricate web of complex relationships. Cazenove does an excellent job with European, Irish, and English accents, and with the male gender, but he reads the female parts unadorned. The story is not fast paced, but is filled with complicated relationships and ends with a surprising twist. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Literature & FictionHumor & SatireHumorous
RELEASED2001
PUBLISHERNew Millenium Audio
LANGUAGEEN
Iris Murdoch was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her first published novel, Under the Net, was selected in 2001 by the editorial board of the American Modern Library as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 1987, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.([Source][1].) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Murdoch
An Unofficial Rose
by Iris Murdoch, Christopher Cozenove
Product Description Christopher Cazenove, one of England's finest actors, has starred on stage and TV in the US and Great Britain. He most recently starred in A Knight's Tale, Eye of the Needle and Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill. His reading of An Unofficial Rose brings the comedic tone to life. Iris Murdoch's novel deploys her gift of high comedy in a new field. she directs her wit, her irony, and her dazzling, often disturbing insights upon the complex life of a family. In doing so, she has produced what is in essence,a traditional "family novel." Iris Murdoch reveals a group of related lives that gravitate together like island universes. Listeners will be surprised by the resulting story. From Publishers Weekly This 1986 Murdoch is a Shakespearean comedy of misaligned lovers, minus the spirits and potions. Here the characters are responsible for their own actions, and Murdoch delights in painting these young, middle-aged and elderly adventurers and the psychological processes that direct their actions. Hugh's wife, Fanny, dies after 40 years of marriage; his former lover, Emma, appears at the funeral. Hugh becomes wild to win her love again, while neighbor Mildred (with her gay husband Humphrey's blessing) has designs on Hugh. Hugh's son Randall, meanwhile, is madly in love with Emma's companion/secretary Lindsey who may or may not be having an affair with her employer while Randall's wife Ann yearns for Mildred's brother Felix, who, in turn, has always secretly adored her. But it is the scheming of Miranda, Randall and Ann's teenaged daughter, that ultimately determines the outcomes of their lives, for better and for worse. Cozenove has a deep and melodic reading voice and a charming British accent that work well with this material, though his renditions of Hugh and Emma are a bit too elderly and scratchy for the characters and the story. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From the Publisher Iris Murdoch's 24th novel, a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller, explores the meaning of life in a story of love and betrayal, faith and doubt. "Murdoch works with an intellectual daring most writers only dream of." - The Philadelphia Inquirer About the Author The late Iris Murdoch was an author of universal acclaim. Her novels tackled everyday ethical and moral concerns, exploring the function of myth in making sense of one's life. She won the Booker prize in 1978 for The Sea, The sea. In addition to books, she was also a playwright, her most successful play being "Servants and the Snow." Most recently, her husband wrote and participated in the film dedicated to her life and works. From AudioFile Christopher Cazenove portrays grieving husband Hugh Peronet with English propriety as he attends his wife's funeral. Each sentence of the pastor's resounding eulogy sparks a new trip down memory lane for Peronet. His memories contrast sharply with the idealized relationship spoken of, as he reflects on previous marital affairs. Flashbacks are necessary to understand the plot and characters, but they disrupt the story, which is made up of an intricate web of complex relationships. Cazenove does an excellent job with European, Irish, and English accents, and with the male gender, but he reads the female parts unadorned. The story is not fast paced, but is filled with complicated relationships and ends with a surprising twist. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Literature & FictionHumor & SatireHumorous
RELEASED2001
PUBLISHERNew Millenium Audio
LANGUAGEEN
Iris Murdoch was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her first published novel, Under the Net, was selected in 2001 by the editorial board of the American Modern Library as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 1987, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.([Source][1].) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Murdoch
