Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Right Time
- Author: Danielle Steel
- Narrator: Victor Bevine
- Length: 09:10:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 29/08/2017
- Publisher: Recorded Books
- Genre: Romance, Fiction & Literature, Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Sagas
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
As I settled into my favorite armchair with a cup of jasmine tea – the same ritual I’ve maintained since my graduate school days at Harvard – Victor Bevine’s rich baritone voice began weaving Danielle Steel’s ‘Right Time’ into my consciousness. The opening chapters immediately transported me back to my research on pseudonymous female writers of the 19th century, that fascinating tension between creative expression and societal constraints that still resonates today.
Steel’s protagonist Alexandra Winslow embodies this timeless struggle with remarkable nuance. The narrative’s exploration of gender dynamics in publishing reminds me sharply of discussions in my Contemporary Fiction seminar at Berkeley, where we analyzed how Mary Ann Evans became George Eliot to be taken seriously. Alexandra’s transformation into Alexander Green is a modern echo of this literary masquerade, made all the more poignant by Bevine’s sensitive narration. His ability to capture Alexandra’s youthful determination and later, her world-weary wisdom across decades of story time is nothing short of masterful.
What fascinates me most is how Steel uses the crime fiction genre as both plot device and metaphor. The mysteries Alexandra writes mirror the central enigma of her own identity – a layered approach that reminds me of Murakami’s structural playfulness in ‘Kafka on the Shore.’ Bevine’s narration shines particularly in these meta-fictional moments, his tone subtly shifting to distinguish Alexandra’s ‘real’ world from her fictional creations.
Through a cultural lens, the audiobook’s greatest strength lies in its emotional authenticity. The convent scenes particularly moved me, evoking memories of researching Catholic women’s communities during my Ph.D. The twenty-six mothers Steel describes form a chorus of female solidarity that Bevine voices with remarkable individuality – each nun’s personality emerging through slight vocal variations that never veer into caricature.
The production quality enhances this emotional resonance. Recorded Books maintains their usual high standards, with crisp audio that captures every nuance of Bevine’s performance. His pacing – measured during introspective moments, taut during revelations – mirrors the rhythm of good detective fiction, keeping listeners engaged through the 9+ hour runtime.
Some might critique the novel’s adherence to Steel’s signature melodramatic style, but I found this a strength in audio format. The heightened emotions play beautifully when spoken, much like Greek tragedies were meant to be performed rather than read. Bevine leans into these moments without overplaying them, finding truth in the grand gestures.
Compared to similar contemporary women’s sagas, ‘Right Time’ stands out for its intellectual heft beneath the surface glamour. While the plot follows familiar beats of professional success and personal sacrifice, Steel’s attention to the creative process gives it unusual depth. It’s what I often tell my students at Yale – popular fiction can be just as thematically rich as literary fiction when approached with care.
For listeners who enjoyed the audio versions of ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ or ‘Where the Crawdads Sing,’ this offers a similarly immersive experience with extra layers of metafictional intrigue. Bevine’s narration surpasses many in the genre, his vocal characterizations avoiding the trap of making female characters sound shrill or male characters overly gruff – a balance many narrators struggle to achieve.
In scholarly appreciation and shared literary passion,
Prof. Emily Chen
