ELLEN FOSTER

Ellen Foster is the 11-year-old victim of poverty, abuse and unimaginable neglect. Her story would be unbearable were it not for the direct, no-pity-expected manner in which Ellen relates her sad tale. Her matter-of-fact style is captured expertly by narrator Ruth Ann Phimister, who injects the telling with Ellen's dry humor and honest, clear-eyed recognition of the shortcomings of the adults in her life. Phimister creates a believable 11-year-old and, although her Southern accent occasionally strikes an odd note, she sustains both the accent and the youthful voice throughout. Listeners will be enriched by keeping company with Ellen. D.M.L. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 99]