THE OAKEN HEART

Allingham, the author of the Albert Campion crime novels, tells this story of her small English village during WWII. Tracey Lloyd narrates the story in the form of a letter to an American couple who asked Allingham what it was like for small villages that were asked to provide a home for the onslaught of evacuees from London. Lloyd's style matches the writing--direct and straightforward. She narrates clearly and distinctly with a sensitivity for the author's concerns about exposing the stresses and tensions her village faced, and the variety of coping mechanisms. A bit brighter sound would have been helpful for listening in the car (although it was adequate with a bit of tonal adjustment), but this was less of a problem with a portable player J.E.M. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]