cover image A Curable Romantic

A Curable Romantic

Joseph Skibell, read by Jeff Woodman, HighBridge Audio, unabridged, 18 CDs, 22.5 hrs., $49.95 ISBN 978-1-6157-3530-3

Dr. Jakob Sammuelsohn shares his astute and often sardonic views of the Jewish communities of Europe from 1890s Vienna to the 1940 Warsaw ghetto in Skibell’s lush historical novel. After he falls in love at first sight with Emma Eckstein, Freud’s famous patient, Sammuelsohn becomes a member of Freud’s circle. Eventually, his attention wanders, and his unrewarding love for Emma is displaced by the allure of other women, including Loe Bernfeld, a famous proponent of Esperanto. Jeff Woodman is a chameleon. He vanishes into each character and milks every satiric ounce out of Skibell’s merry novel in one of the best audios of the year. An Algonquin hardcover (Reviews, May 31). (Sept.)