ON CANAAN'S SIDE

I wanted to slow down to savor Wanda McCaddon’s exquisite reading of Sebastian Barry’s wonderful new novel, but I simply couldn’t stop. The story of Lillie Bere, an Irish girl forced to flee to America in 1918 to escape her homeland’s sectarian strife, is a revelation. (It’s also long-listed for the prestigious Man Booker Prize.) Looking back at the end of a long, often difficult life, Lillie tells her story with honesty, insight, and entrancing flashes of humor. Using a melodious Irish accent and realistic pacing and tone, McCaddon lifts Lillie’s word into flight. She sounds lively when young Lillie is speaking, tired when old Lillie is remembering. She even does American when Lillie recalls her new-world friends. McCaddon narrating, Barry writing—you couldn’t ask for better. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]