SPRING Seasonal Quartet, Book 3

Juliette Burton's performance of the third volume of Ali Smith's seasonal novels is outstanding. Burton ensures that the characters are distinct and authentic and that we don't miss a single note of the biting wit that pervades this Brexit-era novel. She deftly exhibits the hopelessness that Richard, a director, experiences as he mourns the death of his best friend and struggles with a new scriptwriter who invents fake history. Brittany is losing her humanity a bit at a time as an officer at an Immigration Removal Center when she meets Florence, a 12-year-old girl, on a train. Burton softens her voice for the young and wise child who evades the Center's security--she is invisible to both society and guards--and shames the head bureaucrat into getting the toilets cleaned. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2019]