THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE

Author John Boyne turns his talent to the Russian Revolution, focusing on the family of Czar Nicholas and a family of post-revolution émigrés. Stefan Rudnicki narrates from the perspective of Georgy, a former bodyguard of the royal family, as the story personalizes the lead-up to and the aftereffects of the Russian Revolution. Rudnicki’ s performance is strong despite a bit of inconsistency in his accents for some of the British characters. His performance makes listeners feel both the joy and the pain of Georgy’s early life in Russia and in his self-imposed exile. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2013]