Dodsworth

Sam Dodsworth has built one of America's first great automobile companies from nothing, a self-made man of the Midwest who has never questioned the values that made him successful. When his restless wife Fran persuades him to retire and travel to Europe with her, the contrast between American and European ways of living begins to dissolve the marriage and force Dodsworth to examine who he is beyond his work. Sinclair Lewis's 1929 novel is both a portrait of a particular American man and a meditation on what success means when its material goals have been achieved.

Grover Gardner narrates with the Midwestern plainness and underlying emotional depth that Dodsworth himself embodies, giving the character's gradual self-examination a dignified authenticity. His performance captures the social comedy of Americans in Europe alongside the genuine pathos of a marriage failing in public view, and the contrast between Fran's anxious social climbing and Sam's bedrock decency is handled with consistent nuance. At just over thirteen hours, Dodsworth is a richly rewarding audio experience.