FAMILIAR PASSIONS

No dramatic performance dazzles the listener in this story of a middle-aged British woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery after her husband leaves her. Instead, Sheila Mitchell's pleasant voice, subtly suggesting distinctions between male and female, young and old, has the relaxed appeal of a traditional storyteller. It's almost as if she's chatting over a neighborly cup of coffee as she describes Bridie's loving adoptive parents, her beastly husband, and her motley relatives and friends. (How fortunate that one of these just happens to be male, charming, and eligible!) When a book is this good, six cassettes are nowhere near enough. J.C. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 98]