MacLaine’s Humor, High Spirits Elevate Tale of Tough Trek

This nonfiction account of a 500-mile spiritual journey across Spain is a bit too wacky to be everyone’s cup of tea. But you have to give actress-writer Shirley MacLaine credit for her honesty and an ability to captivate listeners with “The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit” (Simon & Schuster Audio; abridged nonfiction; four cassettes; six hours; $25; read by the author).

It is called “The Camino,” but the actual name of this ancient pilgrimage across the mountains, highways and cities of northern Spain is the Santiago de Compostela. Supposedly, the 500-mile path lies under the Milky Way and derives psychic energy from that source.

In her sixth decade, boldly calling herself a senior citizen, MacLaine undertook this trek during a grueling 30-day journey. She is forthright in her accounts of physical problems, frightening clashes with stalking paparazzi, horrible food, hunger, weird coincidences and epiphanies, both large and small.

Some of those epiphanies, which come to her during trance-like meditations, include MacLaine’s belief that she was Charlemagne’s lover. She also states that he was reincarnated as another of her lovers, Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme, who was assassinated in 1986. MacLaine also had visions of a lifetime as an androgynous being in Atlantis.

Admitting that many people will view her as a nut case, MacLaine had her doubts about disclosing these spiritual awakenings. That her tale remains consistently interesting, and often entertaining, has as much to do with her descriptive prowess as an ability to see the humor in most situations.

Though the book is abridged, it was done carefully. Some detail is obviously missing, but it is a plus to hear the author read her own work. MacLaine has a great voice: A little deep and raspy, it is unusual and easily identifiable. And as she is a well-seasoned, Academy Award-winning actress, it is no surprise that her delivery is superb.

There is devilish laughter in her voice as she pokes fun at herself; anger when she describes harrowing encounters with the press. Annoyance, grief and weariness creep into her narration as she describes her trek. MacLaine brings such high energy to her narrative that she is sometimes even more entertaining than her text.

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Moving from the Milky Way to the Beltway, we come upon the second novel from Joe Klein, who published his first fiction, “Primary Colors,” under that well-known pseudonym, Anonymous.

In “The Running Mate,” Klein pulls us into the life of Sen. Charlie Martin, a decorated Vietnam War hero making a run at the presidency. From that ill-fated venture, Martin encounters a senatorial opponent so lacking in scruples that Martin soon finds his personal life made embarrassingly public (Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio; abridged fiction; three cassettes; five hours; $25; read by Anthony Heald).

Klein depicts a political landscape filled with pill-popping pols, a political prisoner named Mustafa, and deceits on a level only Machiavelli could truly appreciate. The plot moves at a furious pace and brings back Jack Stanton, the president from “Primary Colors,” who is only a thinly veiled version of Bill Clinton. Stanton, however, is a mere background player in a long campaign year during which the mostly honorable Martin begins to learn that there is life beyond politics.

Narrator Anthony Heald nails Klein’s cynical wit. He conveys the arrogance of pundits who think they know all the answers, as well as the uncertainty of Sen. Martin, a man at a crossroads in his life. Though Heald uses dialects for some characters, such as a soft Southern drawl, much of his performance favors attitude over accent.

An audio-book veteran, he has crisp diction and the ability to clearly elicit a character’s personality within just a few sentences. If someone is a slime ball, we hear it in Heald’s voice. Elation, disgust and even a bad cold are all clearly portrayed in his performance.

Unfortunately, the abridgment reduces much of the novel’s color. In the printed version, side characters are seen as humorous or shark-like or pathetic, thanks to Klein’s sharp eye and sharper tongue. These same characters are often reduced to little more than a name and a title in the audio book.

Also, the narrative is sometimes choppy as it jumps from scene to scene without the modifiers and connecting background of the printed version. Heald makes up for some of this with his energy and polish, but we can certainly hear what is missing.

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Rochelle O’Gorman reviews audio books every other week. Next week: Dick Lochte on mystery books.