Raskin, Ellen. 1998. The Westing game. Narrated by Jeff Woodman. New York: Recorded Books, LLC,
sound cassette.
This book is about sixteen neighbors who live in an apartment building and are all named as heirs in the will of someone they do not know, Sam Westing. It turns out that the will is a game and whoever finds Sam�s murderer and wins the game will inherit two hundred million dollars. The plot is full of strange twists and will keep the reader guessing all the way until the very end.
The author reveals the characters through dialogue, actions and the characters� own thoughts. The characters are extremely convincing and both their strengths and weaknesses are shown. Angela, for example, is selfless and kind, yet she doesn�t know how to stick up for herself and has low self esteem. Because of this, she ends up setting off bombs to get attention and injures herself and others. The characters personalities and actions are consistent with their ages and backgrounds. The judge for instance, is very logical and rational throughout the story. Turtle on the other hand, who is only 13, has a problem handling her emotions, which is typical of a girl in her early teens. Throughout the story the characters definitely show growth. Denton becomes less self centered and more caring about the needs of others. Grace becomes less stuck up. The causes of the each of the character�s growth are shown, and for the most part are due to their partners in the game.
While the plot doesn�t have any elements of fantasy in it, the events aren�t really true to life either. The idea of a man faking his own death in order to better choose an heir to his estate is a bit far fetched, but that�s what makes this story so original and appealing to both children and adults. The plot is full of action, such as the bombings, spying on other players, burglaries, etc. The ending is unrealistic in the way everything gets wrapped up so nicely; Angela marries Denton, Turtle marries Theo, etc. However, the ending is a happy one that will leave readers feeling very satisfied. The plot is full of many mini climaxes, but there is an identifiable main climax, which is when Turtle figures out the answer to the game and holds her �trial� at the Westing mansion.
While the plot isn�t very believable, the setting is. The story is set in a small town in Wisconsin, but more specifically, in a condominium, Sunset Towers, where all the players of the game live. The setting is extremely important because the plot would be entirely different if all the characters didn�t live in the same building. The fact that they are neighbors affects everything � how they interact with each other, their actions, their relationships, etc.
This book does have a theme, but it�s not the typical moral lesson. The main theme seems to be that things aren�t always what they seem. Sam Westing isn�t really dead. The cleaning woman was once the rich and powerful wife of Sam Westing. Sweet, innocent Angela is actually the bomber. This certainly emerges naturally from the story. In almost every chapter someone or something is revealed to be completely different from what the reader originally thought. This is what keeps the reader interested.
The style is very straightforward. Dialogue is natural and the story reads as if the reader is eavesdropping on real people having real conversations. The characters� style of speaking fits in very well with their personalities as well. Sydelle for example has a very outgoing and boisterous personality. She asks Chris, who is confined to a wheelchair, if he can use his legs at all. This isn�t something that most people would ask, but it�s very fitting that Sydelle would ask such a question in such a straightforward manner. The point of view is very appropriate as well. While the story is told in third person, the reader is able to see the thoughts of most of the characters. This makes the story much more interesting because the reader is aware not only of the character�s actions, but also of their innermost secrets.
The audio version of this book is unabridged and consists of five cassette tapes. The story was narrated by Jeff Woodman, who is neither the author nor anyone famous as far as I can tell. Each tape had a brief introduction that announced what cassette number it was. There was also a brief closing at the end of the fifth tape which gave information on how to order more books on tape.
As for the sound quality, the volume was too low and I had to almost max out the volume in my car in order to hear some parts of the tapes. Other than that, the sound quality was good. There was no static or glitches in the tapes. The tapes didn�t have any background music or sound effects, just the reading itself, which was excellent. Woodman did all sorts of different accents for the different characters and at many points I couldn�t tell that it was just one person doing the reading. It was a great listening experience and I found myself sitting in parking lots not wanting to get out of the car and stop listening. I really enjoyed listening to this book more than reading it. I tend to get impatient and start to skim books during the important action scenes and sometimes miss key information. But with books on tape, I can�t do this, so I don�t miss anything. It was an extremely enjoyable experience and I�m looking forward to listening to more books on tape in the future.
