THE BREAKDOWN LANE

Anna Fields evokes an earthy, perceptive woman you'd enjoy having across the backyard fence. Fields has a knack for creating characters with vocal mannerisms and inflections that are authentic. This is especially true in Fields's performance of Julie, Mitchard's protagonist, an advice columnist for a Wisconsin paper who unexpectedly finds that no one is more in need of help than she. Her husband abruptly leaves her and their three children to go find himself (and a younger, more malleable mate) in a commune. Soon after, Julie learns she has multiple sclerosis. The blows keep coming, but even in Julie's many unheroic moments, Fields's humor and good nature maintain a sympathy she always merits. M.O. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]