FLORENCE OF ARABIA

Buckley’s irreverent novel, about Florence Farfaletti, a State Department officer who creates a TV station in the Arab land of Matar, truly comes to life on audio. The station’s goal is to enlighten and create a revolution among Islamic women. Farfaletti and her band of compatriots, including the bored wife of the emir of Matar, are successful beyond their wildest dreams, raising the ire of the Arab world. Carrington MacDuffie reads with verve, yet somehow never loses sight of the book’s tongue-in-cheek examination of Middle East politics and Islamic society’s treatment of women. MacDuffie’s performance makes FLORENCE a nonstop pleasure. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 05]