A Farewell to Arms

John Slattery reads this classic novel of an American ambulance driver in the Italian army during WWI and his fateful love affair with a British nurse. Slattery narrates in an expressionless voice--something like Bill Murray in affectless mode--perhaps to mirror the simplicity of Hemingway's prose. But the prose, or at least the dialogue, at this remove often seems mannered, and the reading obstinately flat. Slattery becomes expressive when doing accents, which is a relief. His Scottish and Italian are good, though all the Italians sound alike, including the women. His British accent is not quite so good. But taken altogether, this production effectively presents a novel that still carries some power. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Golden Voice narrator Edoardo Ballerini has the perfect voice to match the crisp rhythms and assured ease of Hemingway's celebrated prose style in his bestselling semi-autobiographical 1929 classic about an American adventurer who joins the Italian Army in WWI. Known for its realistic depiction of the violence and destruction of war, the novel follows the travails and growth of Lieutenant Frederic Henry, whose tone begins as nonchalant as he pals around with his new comrades. Ballerini has a fine time giving voice to the Italian accents. He gives Henry an apprehensive tone as he recovers from a severe battle wound and, finally, a hopeful tone as Henry and his new love, Catherine, escape across the Swiss border. Fear, courage, and desire are some of the major themes of this twentieth-century work of literature. B.P. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine