COLEMAN HILL

A family story blends with history and myth in this excellent audiobook delivered by two talented narrators. Bahni Turpin, the primary narrator, tells the interwoven stories of Celia Coleman and Lucy Grimes, two women who flee the cruelties of the post-Civil War South in 1916, only to discover the brutalities of the North, where they quickly become widowed and fight poverty. A plot that covers three generations requires many characters, but Turpin's gift is delivering the emotions that define personalities and relationships, some caring, others abusive. Dion Graham's periodic contributions feature the major male figure, Jebbie. Though rather shadowy in the main narrative, he becomes more real when Graham's rhythmic narration reveals the emotions he keeps hidden. S.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2024]