THE DEVIL’S DREAM

Some novels seem written with an authorial eye on Hollywood. Others, like this one, seem made for audio. Lee Smith’s charming novel recounts the adventures and misadventures of one Appalachian family over six generations. Some of the kin are hellfire preachers, some besotted drunks; some strong, some weak; some abused, some abusers. But all of them are connected in significant ways to country music, first for pleasure, then for profit. And all have compelling stories. To tell these stories, eight narrators provide what is truly an audio tour de force. These performers seem “country” themselves, handling rural dialects, mountain expressions, and, most impressively, Grand Ole Opry-type singing with consummate skill. Linda Stephens, the principal narrator, excels, but she has ample support, most memorably from Mark Hammer. A-plus for this fine novel and even finer recording, one you don’t want to miss. T.H. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 98]