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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
J.K. Rowling (author)Jim Dale (reader)
2003. 26.5hr. Listening Library, CS, $60 (0-8072-2030-2); CD, $90 (0-8072-2031-0).
REVIEW.
First published July, 2003 (Booklist).
Arriving just in time for summer vacation’s marathon road trips and beach lounging, the latest Harry audiobook is just as captivating as its predecessors. Once again, Dale deftly balances dialogue and narration in his enthusiastic British diction (phrases such as “close-set purple postules” are irresistible). But it’s the distinct, expertly dramatized characterizations that will keep listeners glued to their headphones. Particularly affecting is the barely concealed rage of smarmy, priggish bureaucrat Cornelius Fudge; the silky sleaze and droning imperiousness of the various Ministers of Magic; the long-suffering, ill-spirited whine of the house elves. And then there are the newly adolescent Harry, Ron, and Hermione, whose voices Dale interprets with just the right hints of teen restlessness and insecurity. Listening to every word, rather than skimming forward as readers do, may draw attention to Rowling’s sometimes repetitive descriptions and slower passages. But Dale’s exciting, nuanced performance wholly captures the story’s irrepressible humor and magic.— Gillian Engberg
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