Heartburn

Starred review from September 30, 2013
What to say about any audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep? Thirty years after its original publication, Ephron’s comic novel has finally come to audio starring the actress who played Rachel Samstat in the 1986 film adaptation. In her the narration, Streep perfectly captures Rachel’s self-deprecating humor, resulting in some laugh-out-loud scenes of comic genius. Streep makes us root for Rachel, even as we cringe at her misguided attempts to reconcile with her straying husband. Much of the novel is told through exposition rather than dialogue, so it’s imperative that Streep capture Rachel’s sense of irony without resorting to bitterness—which she does flawlessly. Streep also creates spot-on voices for the cast of mostly upper-crust characters, including dear friend Richard and various Washington swells. A Vintage paperback.