The Warden

The incomparable Simon Vance parses Anthony Trollope's famously circumlocutory, phrase-filled style with aplomb in this first of the Barsetshire novels. In it, we follow Mr. Harding, the kindhearted warden of an old men's poorhouse, who is caught between his ambitious, conservative son-in-law and a reform-minded young man who wants to become his second son-in-law. Trouble ensues when the hapless Mr. Harding tries to avoid unpleasantness by agreeing with everyone. Vance's narrative skills help modern listeners hear the elegance of Trollope's writing and understand the writer's skewering wit. And his ability to create character-revealing accents, from the illiterate grumble of a local farmer to the nasal bray of a highborn clergyman, makes the nineteenth century live in our ears. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2007 Audies Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Hearing Nigel Hawthorne's reading of The Warden is like attending fine theater. In the opening scenes Septimus Harding's sinecure as warden of Barchester hospital's twelve bedesmen is being questioned by young reformer John Bold--a situation complicated by Bold's love for the warden's daughter. Hawthorne's portrayals are so vivid that we see the interplay of characters--from the arrogant archdeacon, Dr. Grantly, and the London lawyer, Sir Abraham Haphazard, to the illiterate stonemason, Abel Handy. In this gentle satire Hawthorne transports us to the predicaments of a mid-nineteenth-century world. And when the curtain falls, we're relieved and delighted that the mild and honorable warden has prevailed. J.H.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Trollope's gentle and very funny novel, which explores moral questions of light contour and complex meaning, is wonderfully read by Jeremy Nicholas. Nicholas employs an old-fashioned, clerical voice--precise, cultured and slightly prissy--which accords perfectly with the mid-Victorian, cathedral town setting of the story. Nicholas's timing is impeccable and allows the listener to catch and savor the rich and subtle humor. His vivid portraits are achieved by granting individuals their specific idiosyncrasies of speech arising from gender, class and manners. He is equally adroit with all, from the gentle warden to his beadsman, to that comic pair, his elder daughter and her husband, the tyrannical archdeacon. This recording is pure delight. E.J.M. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

One of Trollope's most notable works tells the story of a clergyman who is set on doing right in the face of a judgmental legal system and press. Narrator David Shaw-Parker's reading is both thoughtful and sympathetic to the events of the story. With his mastery of British accents he captures the 12 temperamental bedesmen of Hiram's Hospital. His portrayal of the kindhearted warden is humble and warm while that of the grand Archdeacon Grantly is boisterous and commanding. Trollope's own narrator is not to be forgotten, and Shaw-Parker pays special attention to this strong authorial presence. His reading suggests a clear understanding of the tone and subtle intrigue of this Victorian novel. D.M.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine