AFTER THE FOREST

What happens after the fairy tale is not always a happy ending. Esther Wane narrates this bewitching extension to the tale of Hansel and Gretel, set in seventeenth-century Germany. Wane's range of character accents brings a magical essence to the story. Fifteen years after they escaped the witch in the gingerbread house, Hans and Greta are having a hard time surviving. Villagers are suspicious of Greta's addictive baked goods, Hans's ceaseless gambling is attracting violent debt collectors, their father and stepmother have passed, and the countryside is left in ruins in the aftermath of war. Above all else, dark magic is returning. Wane's beautiful narration brings it all to life. M.I.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2024]