ON THE BEACH IN SPANISH ROOM

What an unassuming but brilliant little gem this recording is. Set in Newfoundland, all six stories stand proudly on their own, but together they have the sweep of a novel. The reason is Janis Spence’s marvelous characters, “who wore their lives as casually as big sweaters.” She gives them added dimension by bringing them back at various times in their lives. In “Life With the Barons,” for example, listeners meet Nina, the adopted daughter of a well-off couple. Two stories later, the truth about her parentage is revealed in “Father Joe.” An experienced actor and stage director, Spence gives a masterful performance of all the roles she’s created--and it doesn’t hurt that she’s got that incomparable Newfoundland accent. D.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]