Leaven of Malice

The Salterton Trilogy, Book 2

By: Robertson Davies

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

The following announcement appeared in the Salterton Evening Bellman: "Professor and Mrs. Walter Vambrace are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Pearl Veronica, to Solomon Bridgetower, Esq., son of ..." Although the malice that prompted the insertion of this false engagement notice was aimed at three people only - Solly Bridgetower, a junior instructor in English at Waverly University; Pearl Vambrace, the subdued daughter of a domineering professor; and Gloster Ridley, the anxiety-ridden editor of the Evening Bellman - the leaven of malice will change permanently, for good or ill, the lives of many of the citizens of Salterton. Robertson Davies jumps at the opportunity this situation provides to create memorable characters and lasting impressions.©1996 Pendragon Ink (P)1996 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Leaven of Malice is leaven of sheer delight." (Globe and Mail)
"His writing is full of zest, wit, and urbanity. The soundness of his moral is apparent. The leaven of malice grows, and swells, and sooner or later touches all of us." (New York Times Book Review)
"The reader will find it a riot - engrossing from opening prank to final curtain." (Toronto Star)

Very pleasant

Not quite as laugh out loud as Tempest-Tost, but there were funny moments. More than the comedy, I liked hearing about the lives of the characters I met in Part One.

Gentle part 2 of trilogy

If you could sum up Leaven of Malice in three words, what would they be?

Set in the late fifties or early sixties in an imagined Canadian university town the characters leave us wanting to "read" part three.

What did you like best about this story?

Characters and motivations, misunderstandings and assumptions and the folly that ensues.

Have you listened to any of Frederick Davidson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Performance was good as it was for the first book in the series. The only flaw was a technical one- from time to time (say 4 times in the book) the audio levels dropped briefly and then returned to normal.

If you could take any character from Leaven of Malice out to dinner, who would it be and why?

No thanks! Far better to be a fly on the wall.

A Favorite in High School and Still Amazing 30 years later!

I love these books. They are witty, erudite and very well written. It’s great to revisit them.