ruefulness

He regards his son with suspicion, defiance, anguish, ruefulness and fear.

But the play’s mixture of ruefulness, bleakness and bittersweet domesticity never becomes gripping, and drama and momentum are in such short supply that you feel you’re living the tedium the title character has embraced.

The resigned version takes that and adds a smile — one that manages, through the tears, to communicate ruefulness, cynicism, contempt and the sheer relief of finally giving up.

Veteran voice actor Rupert Degas narrates this wonderful tale in a well-paced, matte-finished voice, nicely capturing the prevailing moods of ruefulness, melancholy and gentle comedy.

All will be revealed, which readers know because an adult Olivia is narrating this tale with years of hindsight and more than a little ruefulness.