Past Caring - Robert Goddard (Unabridged)

Written in clear, resonant prose, Goddard's first novel, nominated for the Booker prize, is a poised telling of a complex tale. A fascinating "could this be true?" story within a story is reminiscent of Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time, while Thomas Hardy's tragic characters are deliberately echoed in the Edwardian British politician Edwin Strafford and the troubled historian Martin Radford, who has been chosen to research Strafford's tormented life. Radford finds a memoir that contains hints of a political and moral crime, past but not forgotten, so devastating that even in 1977 it reverberates through the corridors of power. As he reads the memoir, Radford eventually comes to regard the dead Home Secretary as a friend, even as his search uncovers corruption and murder. The novel's subtlety is reflected in the different meanings of its title, and the satisfying climax weaves together the strands of past and present. In one sense a historical thriller, and in another a romantic novel of a love affair gone disastrously wrong, this is, in any case, a wonderful read. Paul Shelley's reading is sensitive and sets the tone for this tale of a life gone hideously wrong. Twenty-six years after Edwin Strafford's death, historian Martin Radford is challenged by a whimsical, wealthy, and elderly South African now living in Strafford's home in Madeira to find out why his life did not fulfill its promise. Radford learns that nothing is academic about the life and death of Strafford, Member of Parliament, British Consul in Madeira, and one-time colleague of Winston Churchill and Lloyd George. People are still protecting the secrets that Radford is seeking, and at least one of them is willing to murder to keep them. Shelley adjusts the pitch and inflection of his voice and the pacing of his words to portray a variety of characters: the eager, honest, self-confident young Strafford and the weary, cynical World War I veteran whom he becomes; the cold, evil villain; the charming seductress; and the bluff, good-natured Churchill.

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hatyai1 (2011-08-29)

thank you very much
good book
very well read