NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH

The nineteenth edition of uniquely Southern fiction provides listeners with a memorable collection of characters, from small-town weirdos and emotionally wounded husbands and wives to lovers and lonely souls. A full gamut of rural and metropolitan, white and black Southerners is represented. The one consistent element seems to be the yearning of all characters to understand their circumstances and what got them there. Eleven CDs of material ensure many hours of enjoyment as a talented roster of readers, including George Guidall, spins the stories. Dion Graham’s performance of “A Rich Man” is poignant; Carol Monda touches the pulse of hard-up Southern single moms in “Second Hand.” Bonuses include short bios and authors’ comments. Acting, writing, and production are consistently fine, with few exceptions. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]