DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP

Pete Cross narrates Willa Cather's atmospheric classic, first published in 1927, with quiet assurance. In 1851, Father Jean Marie Latour begins his priesthood by serving as the apostolic vicar of New Mexico. As the priest from the East navigates the desert Southwest--its stunning landscape, its intensely divided peoples, and its surprising caprices--Cross brings Cather's gorgeous descriptions and the priest's inner struggles to life. In more of a reading than a performance, Cross delivers the vastness of the desert, the seething racial conflicts, contentious religious differences, and the people's humanity. Cross doesn't use accents to identify American, Native American, or Hispanic speakers, but his intelligent narration celebrates Cather's emphasis on what's most important in a person's life--living fully and honestly. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2023]