A Family Affair by Mary Campisi

Narrated by Talmadge Ragan

A Family Affair is the first book in the Truth and Lies series. It tells the story of one woman’s journey to uncover the secrets her father took with him to his grave.

Christine Blacksworth always worshipped her father. In her eyes, he could do no wrong. She joined him in the family business, and, when the book starts, she has been promoted to Vice President of the company. When her father is killed on an icy road in a small town he had no reason to be visiting, and a strange woman is listed as one of the beneficiaries in his will, Christine is forced to face the fact that Charles Blacksworth was not the man she always thought him to be.

Christine is determined to meet the woman named in the will. She has no idea what she’ll find when she does, but she’s desperate to know the truth. What happens when the truth shatters all our illusions and we feel things we don’t necessarily want to feel? All of this is explored as Christine gets to know her father’s secret family.

Nate is the son of Miriam, Charles Blacksworth’s mistress for the past fourteen years. Like Christine, he idolized his father, and certainly feels no sorrow at the passing of this man he always viewed as weak. He is angry with Christine for seeking his mother out. He’s certain she’s just like her father, someone who will treat those he loves as dirty secrets, never to see the light of day. However, as time passes, Nate is forced to realize that Christine is not cut from the same cloth as her father. Slowly, he begins to trust and appreciate her.

A Family Affair is a complex story filled with very flawed characters. Ms. Campisi does an excellent job allowing us to actually see the people she created as human beings. Christine’s mother is very manipulative and controlling. Her uncle is a lazy drunk who seems to think only of sex and whiskey. Nate is a man who carries a huge chip on his shoulder. Some characters have redeeming qualities, but not everyone is likable.

This is a prime example of why the narrator is such an important component of the audiobook experience. In the hands of the correct person, Ms. Campisi’s story could have been a masterpiece. Sadly, Talmadge Ragan wasn’t up to the task.

Her character differentiation was very good. No one was made to sound silly. She used accents and pitch variance quite successfully.

Ms. Ragan has a propensity to speak too quickly at times, causing certain words to run together. There were several occasions when I had to listen to something over again, just to make out the words being spoken. Other times, she slowed down considerably, almost as if she was trying to compensate for her earlier speed. This made the narration inconsistent, and very hard to listen to.

I noticed several vocal errors that could have been picked up during the editing process. Certain consonant sounds were enunciated so much that they almost gave words extra syllables. Also, the word “hadn’t” was always pronounced as if it rhymed with patent.

Honestly, if you are not bound to audiobooks, I’d suggest reading A Family Affair. I think the power and beauty of Ms. Campisi’s story can be better taken in without the distraction of a subpar narration.

Shannon

Narration:  C-

Book Content:  A-

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in (on the tame end of the spectrum)

Violence:  Minimal

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Mary Campisi

A Family Affair was provided to AudioGals by the author for review.