POSITIVELY 4TH STREET The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Fariña and Richard Fariña

This engrossing book takes us back to the late ’50s and early ’60s to explore the lives and loves of four seminal folk performers: Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Richard Fariña, and Mimi Baez Fariña. Narrator Bernadette Dunne performs character voices for each person quoted in the book. Thus, we get what amounts to her imitations of Dylan et al., which is disconcerting and distracting. Dunne has a wonderful voice; it’s confident, pleasant, and cool. Except for Dylan’s distinctive voice, though, we don’t know whether she’s being true to the other principals. In fiction, a narrator can create. In nonfiction, creativity leads to caricature. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]