AUSTRALIA STREET

A story of inner-city domestic drama immerses the listener in the vivid world of Sydney, Australia, just after WWII. The working-class Gordon family is shattered by a devastating accident that sparks a chain of events—changing all of their lives forever. Whitehead meticulously unfolds each character through the eyes of Hanna on her 36th birthday, a birthday date shared with her 16-year old daughter, Ally. Herbalist Grandma Ade predicts bad luck on the birthdays, which take place on Friday, the 13th. And when the bad luck shows up, both women struggle to maintain the family's values and survival. Julie Nihill's Australian accent and imaginative reading form a kinship with the cast of colorful characters, while grasping the pain that fills the family's most turbulent year. Evocative details of the postwar period are enhanced by Nihill's spirited expression. A.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2009]