Demo Central

Finally, if you’ve resolved to laugh more, check into Hotel Splendide. This slice of opulent life by the author of the famed MADELINE children’s book, performed by David de Vries, is a delightful and comic tribute to life in a 1920s New York luxury hotel. De Vries narrates with a rich tone and lively style that fits this satire of the opulent life of the Hotel Splendide, a slightly fictionalized version of the Ritz, where Bemelmans worked as a waiter. De Vries’s respectable French and German accents capture the wealthy and indulged inhabitants of the hotel, and the hierarchy of their server battalion. De Vries infuses hilarity into Bemelmens’s tongue-in-cheek observations and disdain for the pretentiousness of high society. This captivating audio experience is a nice escape on any day.

The narration of this audiobook is spectacular. Thérèse Plummer brings power, venom, and precision, and David de Vries demonstrates equal power, along with warmth and humor. They transport listeners into the Polish Puszcza–a forest cold, dark, and full of magic. And wolves. And stories. Young Magia desperately wants to follow the footsteps of her woodcutter father into the Puszcza, but how can she without becoming part of the forest’s magical web? Plummer and de Vries alternate the narration. Plummer delivers the narrative as well as portraying Magia and Miss Grand, a manipulative witch. De Vries crafts intriguing vocal personalities for the wolf and the three pigs. While the story has many magical threads and altered folktales to keep in mind, the vivid narration will make following the characters a joy. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2018]

Narrator David de Vries handles the strangely alarming but slow beginning of this intriguing and riveting novel with skill, leading listeners deep into the Florida wilderness and trapping them there with Thorn, the series hero, and his recently discovered son, Flynn Moss. Flynn is involved with the self-styled radical environmental group Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and their planned attack on the nuclear power plant at Turkey Point. De Vries offers vibrant character portrayals, especially of Thorn and aging FBI agent Frank Sheffield, an acquaintance of Thorn’s. De Vries adds plenty of drama and suspense to Hall’s examination of some of today’s environmental challenges. Series fans and new ones will enjoy the ride. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2014]

David de Vries shows considerable flexibility in his polyglot palate as he guides listeners across four continents. His talent at switching between accents—Australian, American, Indian, Pakistani, and Arabic, among others—is flawless as he depicts the characters in this sequel to Coes’s 2010 novel, POWER DOWN. An Islamist cleric and a bitter megalomaniac are moving the chess pieces to orchestrate a nuclear battle between India and Pakistan. State Department strategists believe such a battle can only lead to a nuclear world war. Former Delta Ranger Dewey Andreas is the only man who can stage a coup in Pakistan that will end the nuclear threat. While bringing the diverse characters alive, de Vries gives the novel a cool, even narration that helps sustain the suspense. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]

The author tells wonderfully rich stories of the people he’s encountered through his career as a sports reporter. The accounts weave together seamlessly. Feinstein’s career began at the WASHINGTON POST before he began writing books. He covers a range of athletes and sports, though much of the focus here is on Bobby Knight, the subject of his first book. Narrator David de Vries is as engaging as this book is interesting. His accents and tones are wonderful, covering a range of people from European-born athletes (Ivan Lendl especially) to stern American security guards. De Vries handles the funny and poignant stories with aplomb. M.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]