ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS

Christina Moore deftly narrates this historical fiction based on the true events of the Stephens-Murphy wagon company, which crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains two years before the Donner party. Moore's finely tuned descriptions of the journey are appropriately tense during frequent periods of danger but soothingly gentle when the story contemplates the motives and feelings of these pioneers. Moore's greatest gift to this production is her ability to differentiate the many characters, who splinter into several different groups when they become bogged down by winter's early arrival. Her skills in maintaining consistent accents for people of diverse backgrounds and matching voice to personality enliven the characters and make shifts in point of view clear. N.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2020]