THE BOOK BORROWER

Toby Ruben and Deborah Laidlaw begin a friendship that forms the substance of their lives. On the first day they meet, Deborah lends Toby a book, TROLLEY GIRL, Miriam Lipkin’s memoir recounting the tragic results of an anarchist uprising in Brooklyn in the 1920s. This story-within-a-story circles Deborah’s and Toby’s lives for 22 years. Suzanne Toren is simply superb. Her characters are full-blooded, three-dimensional human beings. As Toby, her voice tightens with an angry, competitive edginess. As Deborah, it welcomes and envelops in a motherly embrace. Alice Mattison seamlessly fuses past with present while revealing the contradictions--the jealousies, loyalties, and betrayals--always present in love, sisterhood, and friendship. Toren’s intelligence shines in her reading, and her star-quality voice offers yet another stellar performance. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 03/JAN 04]