PUMPKIN COACH

Two families live in Gloucestershire in the late forties. The pumpkin coach is an abandoned railway car on an unused line in the Forest of Dean, which becomes both a symbol of sexual recklessness and spiritual healing. Actress Nicolette McKenzie sets herself the ambitious task of dramatizing the nearly twenty or so characters who populate the novel. She manages to portray many very well indeed, especially the gushing Hattie and the tyrannical husband and employer, Reggie. This is an energetic reading by a gifted actress, but a straight narration would have better suited the story. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 05]