A VILLAGE ROMANCE The Village Life, Book 1

Narrator Mark Binder conveys the joyful charm of these vignettes set in the mythical village of Chelm. Elderly Rabbi Kibbitz ministers to the village while his wife Mrs. Chaipul (she has kept her widowed name) runs a restaurant. In “New Beginnings,” listeners will meet troubled congregants who seek the rabbi’s advice, which he wisely permits them to arrive at on their own. “The Chelm Workout” introduces plucky Mrs. Rosen, who wants to begin an exercise class and healthy eating. Binder demonstrates the villagers’ warm relationships and power of the women when the men—also exuberantly rendered—protest but eventually give in. In “Sabbath Sickness,” Binder outdoes himself when Kibbitz evaluates his health and reluctantly allows his young assistant to take on the most important service. A witty glossary concludes this unique listen. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2020]