BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA

Julia Whelan becomes former child star Fiona St. James, offering just the right amount of backstage gossip, romance, and mystery to keep listeners engaged. Fiona was a pivotal character in "Birds of California," a successful fictional TV sit-com. The producers want a reboot of the series, and they need Fiona and her costar, Sam Fox, to make it happen. When Sam tries to convince Fiona to join the cast, dormant feelings emerge, and she becomes irrational and unpredictable. Whelan provides credible voices and emotions as details about Fiona's public breakdown emerge. She develops the romantic undercurrent between Sam and Fiona with subtle shifts in tone and pace, and makes Fiona's reluctance to reenter the world that caused her to fall apart understandable. Great summer listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]