FAIR WEATHER

Estelle Parsons's dry narration perfectly captures the voice of Rosie, a country girl on her first trip to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. As she meets her Aunt Euterpe for the first time and sees such wonders as electric lights, marble pavement, and loose women, Rosie tells things as she sees them. Parsons creates distinctive voices for the central characters; her voices for Rosie's outrageous grandfather and reserved aunt are gems. The production creates an atmosphere through which listeners can imagine how amazing the new inventions of the times--among them hamburgers, moving pictures, and Ferris wheels--must have seemed. A.F. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]