ZORRIE

Holly Palance's soothing narration creates the perfect gentle atmosphere for this thoroughly Midwestern novel. Zorrie Underwood's entire life has been a struggle--from her parents' early deaths to her efforts to keep the family farm afloat through troubled decades. Palance matches her wistful but determined tones to Laird Hunt's spare prose as Zorrie marches forward, no matter what obstacles life throws her way. The story includes a broad palette of local farmers and friends surrounding Zorrie, and Palance's character accents echo the rolling Indiana farmlands they emerge from and sweep the listener into the scope of a life well, if painfully, lived. Only a handful of noticeable editing flaws hold this production back from true excellence. N.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2021]