Reviewed by Lois Henderson for Readers' Favorite

Primarily set in early eighteenth-century London, The Adventures of Tom Finch, Gentleman by Lucy May Lennox is a picaresque tale of a blind music master who triumphs over his disability to lead a thoroughly (dis)honorable life. It is a merry romp from start to finish. In the course of Finch’s progress, he manages to navigate his way through society from the highest to the lowest and back again. Born the illegitimate son of a licentious earl who did not shy away from consorting with the lower classes, is it any wonder that he is as socially adept as he is, despite his visual impairment? Small wonder, also, that Tom’s relationships with others stretch from that with his financially and emotionally supportive aunt, the domineering widowed Lady Grey, who takes a keen interest in Tom’s welfare, to his deep and somewhat ill-advised loyalty to an infamous prostitute, Sally Salisbury. A vast array of characters people this work of historical fiction, with each tending to bring some new element of interest and enlightenment about the mores of the age.

For those with an interest in previous historical epochs, this audiobook should not only be an extremely entertaining listen, but it should also be enlightening as to the pursuits of the time. In addition, Lennox’s concern with the life of a physically handicapped person in an age that was not particularly kind towards those with physical impairments of any sort should prove to be of interest to anyone who cares about, and who has empathy for, those who have to overcome similar challenges in life. I admire the rigor and the wit portrayed by Tom in dealing with the wide range of experiences that come his way―he is a fine character, despite (or perhaps because of) his numerous (mis)adventures, which include him even fighting a duel so that he is clearly shown, as the title says, to be a “gentleman.”

The cast of The Adventures of Tom Finch, Gentleman by Lucy May Lennox consists chiefly of the Duke and Duchess DeFoix, supplemented by the voices of performers Olivia Featherton and Earl Tyrone. The DeFoixs’ theatrical experience is marked and made me feel as though I were a blind audience member at a play, which I considered a most fitting experience. The timbre of the voices is resonant and dramatic, with only the slightly over-the-top shrill voices of the children in the story being a little disconcerting. Overall, the quality of the aural production is very fine, and the words are all clearly, albeit sometimes startlingly, conveyed.