THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE

Legendary Cree bush pilot Will Bird lies in a coma with his dutiful niece, Annie, by his side. As narrators James Jenner and Ali Ahn deliver this lyrical tale of loss, violence, and frontier justice, they take the listener into a rustic world populated with wild animals and even wilder, unpredictable people. At times, Jenner affects a tone of wonder mixed with "Old West" grit as Bird recounts the grandeurs of the natural world. Ahn's capable voice takes on a tone of sadness as Annie worries about her sister, a well-known model who has taken up with unsavory characters in New York City. Ultimately, Annie leaves her uncle's side and goes east to search for her sister, bringing about the story’s overly dramatic but satisfying ending. R.O. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2009]