THE CIDER HOUSE RULES

In this funny, sad, touching bestseller, set in rural Maine during the first half of the last century, parentless Homer Wells comes to maturity in an orphanage run by a saintly, cantankerous obstetrician. Grover Gardner serves up the beautiful prose and fascinating characters with considerable aplomb. Without actually adopting a full-fledged accent, he manages to give us the feel of New England vocal cadences in the narrative. Picture yourself sitting on a front porch on a lazy autumn evening with a longtime area resident as he leisurely spins some fascinating local history. That's the effect Gardner produces. Actually, he only SEEMS unhurried, for he keeps the action moving with sensitivity to its rhythms and trajectories. Y.R. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 00]