Bittersweet

Three brothers reveal how they deal with their adult lives--their relationships with family, friends, and the world at large. Each brother represents a particular facet of the African-American community--the middle class, the ghetto, and the church. Each of the three brothers is performed by a different narrator, and each chapter is structured around the perspective of a single brother. Interestingly, with some overlap of characters, we hear the same people via different voices. An excellent multicast reading and an entertaining worldview from the perspective of the African-American male make this a great selection. P.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Bittersweet, a strong-willed peasant woman, escapes infanticide to become the wife of the second-most powerful man in China. This fictionalized biography of Leslie Li's grandmother is fascinating history and a window into the soul of China. In a voice distinct with delicate nuances, Linda Stephens flawlessly plays all parts of this one-hundred-year epic. Marshaling us through the Chinese names with ease and authority, Stephens compels us first with the power of Bittersweet's early life and then with the poignant ironies of her later life. An afterword spoken by the author herself explains the novel's genesis. P.E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Best known for her popular Anna Pigeon mystery series, Barr wrote this "neo-Gothic lesbian Western" (her description) in 1984. In the 1880s, Sarah and Imogene leave rural Pennsylvania to avoid scandal and end up running a wagon stop in the Nevada desert. The frontier West and the women's relationship develop simultaneously amid blowing dust and open skies. Fresh from her tour de force reading of GONE WITH THE WIND, Linda Stephens again manages a long story with a variety of characters running the gamut from charitable to downright mean. She gives words lives of their own and announces each chapter as if it were the dawn of a new day. The scenes of Imogene disguised as a man are skillfully handled by both author and reader. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

What begins as a simple and sweet love story of the 1860s soon plunges into a poignant tale of self-sacrifice and forgiveness. Narrator Stina Nielsen develops each character's personality through the richness of her voice and an accurate interpretation of moods and events. Laney McCain and Galen O'Sullivan are in love, but their life plans are devastated when Galen's kindness to squatters on his land is repaid with trouble. Can they trust God with something that apparently destroys all their dreams? Hake knows how to weave an enduring story with engaging characters. Nielsen takes it to another level with her energetic narration. A terrific listen! N.L. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine