These corresponding recordings contain prose and poetry readings that span the gamut of Western romantic literature. The list of authors whose works are included is a veritable roll call of the best-known writers of the last four centuries: Shakespeare, Burns, Austen, Rousseau, Byron, Joyce, Rossetti, the Bront s, Wordsworth, and Coleridge. Both audiotapes open with a romantic musical introduction, and the individual readings are set against similar classical pieces. English stage and film actors Michael Sheen and Laura Paton are the narrators. Both readers are to be commended for their excellent pacing and skill in voicing these highly emotional works. Despite the outstanding quality of the recordings, however, it is difficult to imagine anyone actually checking the audiobooks out of the library. The flowery verses, thunderous music, and throbbing voices of the actors may play well on stage or in small doses, but they are tiresome after more than a few minutes of listening.

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