AUNT CRETE'S EMANCIPATION

Narrator Anne Hancock is particularly skilled at bringing to life the speech patterns and vocabulary of 1911. She deftly presents polar opposite characters: sweet, humble Lucretia "Crete" Ward and her young, bossy niece, Luella Burton. Impoverished Aunt Crete is forced to live with the Burtons as a Cinderella-like servant. When the family learns that cousin Donald Grant will visit, they hastily depart to avoid him, leaving Aunt Crete to make their apologies. Hancock makes clear Grant's shrewd awareness of their rudeness, which contrasts with his warm regard for the welcoming Aunt Crete. Listeners will be amused to hear shallow Luella's opinion change when she realizes that Grant is wealthy and saddened to hear firsthand of the strong class distinctions prevalent in the early twentieth century. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2017]