TEMPEST RISING

Susan Spain hits one out of the ballpark with her performance. This novel chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of three generations of an African- American family in Philadelphia during the mid-1960s. The bulk of the story deals with the third generation of the family, three sisters. While Spain fails to give any of the characters a glimmer of the distinctive accent spoken by most Philadelphians, she gives the sisters and the people they meet through their reversal of fortune articulate and distinctive voices. Her compassionate narration caresses both our ears and this well-crafted work. P.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]