CLEMENTINE

This is no mere retelling of the sleeping beauty story. Set in France in the late 1700s, when revolution is brewing, and 100 years later, when two, not one, sleeping beauties awaken, Masson's version adds a thought-provoking twist to the traditional story. Mikaela Martin is an earnest and engaged narrator. She flirts with the magic and whimsy of the story but is also squarely grounded, particularly with characters who are not enamored with magic. Martin's tone is reminiscent of a storyteller at the fair who invites listeners young and old to suspend disbelief and consider what might have happened once upon a time. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]