THE YOUNG WAN

In this prequel to the bestselling Agnes Browne trilogy, about a rambunctious lower-class family in 1960s Dublin, we follow the first 20 years of Agnes's life in postwar Dublin. We watch her meet Marion Delany, her best-friend-for-life, in the first grade, and grimace and laugh as the two of them become inseparable co-conspirators in the game of life. They're indisputable survivors. Donada Peters delivers the impeccable reading that we expect from an award-winning narrator. The dialogues between Agnes and Marion and their friends are brilliantly conveyed, making the listener long to be included. We imagine ourselves part of the group, growing up poor but indomitable. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]