STORM IN THE VILLAGE & THE FAIRACRE FESTIVAL

Tea, crumpets, and commotion--that's what Miss Read's two stories, both featuring a pair of British Berkshire villages, serve up. Written by one of England's most prolific and best-loved contemporary writers, these gentle reads describe the villagers' attempts to keep a fertile field from becoming a development and a windstorm that causes the loss of a prized chalice. June Barrie's right-as-rain accents take the listener down cobbled streets and into homes, shops, and the two-room schoolhouse. Her vocal shifts from educated schoolmistress to rough farmer to upstart schoolboy convince listeners they're hearing a cast of many go about their cozy country ways. E.V. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]