THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE

Joan Aiken’s beloved children’s novel (now in its fiftieth year of continuous printing) by her own explicit design contains all the elements of Victorian melodrama—parents presumed lost at sea, the two plucky cousins Bonnie and Sylvia, a scheming instructress, a loyal nursemaid and resourceful goose boy, and cross-England treks. What’s more, it’s got wolves. Aiken’s daughter Lizza has a dual role in this production. She shares a foreword that provides insight into the author’s life and its relationship to the story, and she narrates the story itself with the familiarity that comes from hearing it in process as a child. Aiken’s voice has an ethereal quality that quickens one’s transport to this cruel world. She spellbindingly holds the listener in its grip. This is a treasure! A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2012]