The Philosopher’s Doll (Amanda Lohrey, read by Tracey Callander, Bolinda, $49.95 cd, ISBN 1740947800) HHH

At over seven hours on eight CDs The Philosopher’s Doll may be a bit of a slog, or a feast for the ears if the unabridged words of Amanda Lohrey (read by Tracy Callander) are your thing. Lohrey’s text is highly detailed and descriptive while Callander’s delivery is clear and almost Shakespearian in its diction—although she still has lots of fun with the voices of the minor characters, from posh waiters to wayward youths. As is often the way with audio books, the descriptive passages that you might skim when reading, consciously or not, can seem particularly long and drawn out when read to you, but the more active sections are pleasantly rewarding as Callander’s reading speeds up and you are free to really concentrate on recreating Lohrey’s exact scene with your mind’s eye. It was this aspect of The Philosopher’s Doll that I found most satisfying, even gripping: the way the narrative builds towards one night over various chapters told from different points of view. It is a structure that lends itself perfectly to the audio format. And the cover image, the goldfish from the book, looks particularly good with Bolinda’s new packaging.

Rose Michael is AB&P’s editor

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2004, Thorpe-Bowker