BOG QUEEN

Lily Newmark's transcendent performance of Anna North's remarkable novel lingers long in the memory. Three narratives intersect--a young woman of Iron Age Briton begins her first year as village Druid during the start of Roman occupation; Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist, is asked to examine a 2,000-year-old body preserved in an English peat bog; and that of the peat moss itself. Newmark dons every accent and characterization--from impatient Welsh to stubborn rural English to Agnes's flattened tone, which hints of someone on the autism spectrum. Add the reflective, farsighted narrative of the moss, and you have a genuine tour de force. Together, Newmark and North deliver drama, wonder, heartbreak, and hope while exploring how to live bravely and honestly in changing times. Don't miss it. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2025]