GREAT SKY WOMAN

In this prehistorical novel, the Ibandi people dwell at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, which they call Great Sky Mountain. Coming of age in this society are a nameless orphan girl and her male counterpart, a boy named Frog, both of whom possess special sensitivities that set them apart from their tribe-fellows and draw them to each other. When their territory is invaded by warring neighbors, it’s up to the two youngsters to climb the mountain to ask for help from Father Sky. Narrator Patricia Floyd has an appropriately earthy contralto voice. In dialogue passages, she adopts a convincing African accent, but some aspects of her delivery are awkward. In particular, her attempts to relay the primitive quality of the tale are ultimately unsuccessful. Y.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]