WALKING WITH MISS MILLIE

Bundy has a winner with her debut novel, and Catherine Taber's performance is almost perfect as she captures the voice and feelings of 12-year-old Alice. It's 1968 when Alice, her mother, and her deaf younger brother, Eddie, relocate to Rainbow, Georgia, to care for her grandmother. Expert pacing and tone convey Alice's swirling emotions of hurt, anger, sadness, and, finally, acceptance and peace as she fights, then gradually comes to terms with, her new reality. Taber also convincingly inhabits the voice of Miss Millie, the "colored" elderly neighbor who shares her life, stories, and wisdom with Alice on their daily walks with Clarence the dog. A "dang" good story would have been perfect if only Taber had sung instead of reciting Miss Millie's favorite song. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2017]