THE ALL-TRUE TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LIDIE NEWTON

Lidie likes to read. She doesn't do needlework or housework. And she's not married--nor likely to be with that attitude. It's Thomas, the young idealist (and a "damned abolitionist"), who awakens her to life and the living of it. Their journey to the Kansas territory resonates with questions of freedom and, more specifically, slavery. Winningham's Lidie sounds abrupt, cautious, her judgmental character blooming in full dimension, her voice a trifle piercing but apt. Some personalities remain shadowy, most regrettably that of Thomas, a man who fights war on his own terms. Overall, Smiley's harsh tale as told by Lidie and Winningham gets fine handling. S.B.S. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 98]