The Pilgrim's Progress

Bunyan's classic allegory of the battle of good and evil is clearly delivered in grave, sepulchral tones. Edward de Souza's very British, judicial voice gives credence to court scenes. He depicts Christian as Everyman wading through the slough of Despond, where he meets Mr. Worldly Wiseman and the Evangelist, who hope to delay him on his journey to salvation. When portraying Beelzebub, Souza's voice engages the listener with imperious, commanding, and fearful tones. Funereal organ music provides breaks between scenes and adds to the sense of despair. This book was first published three hundred years ago; this rendition explains why it is ever popular. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Time was when this allegory of moral redemption tied the KING JAMES BIBLE as Most Read Book in the English language. Now Penguin enlists TV's Hercule Poirot to help lift it out of the obscurity to which today's secular world has consigned it. Suchet's musical, expressive voice clarifies and contemporizes the three-hundred-year-old vocabulary. His characterizations are vivid and cartoony. Indeed, Suchet plays this as a kid's book, which it can, but need not, be. The chief flaw in this approach is making the hero, Christian by name and archetype, sound like Simple Simon, losing the senses of danger and ultimate consequence that are intrinsic to the author's message. Still, a livelier, more engaging reading can hardly be imagined. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

John Bunyan's classic allegory tells the story of Christian, who searches for salvation amid a world of temptation and deceit. As the story is presented in the framework of the author's dream, Christian must follow his path to redemption by discerning between friend and foe. Narrator David Shaw-Parker speaks clearly and often slows his pace for Bunyan's lengthy explanations. The story has a barrage of metaphorical characters, and Shaw-Parker handles each distinctly. Christian himself speaks earnestly and emphatically. Because of the abstract nature of the story as well as its seventeenth-century English, PILGRIM'S PROGRESS is challenging in audio form. Readers may even find themselves listening to sections again. This is no fault of Shaw-Parker, who gives an excellent performance and directs listeners steadily down Christian's path. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine