BURNING BRIGHT

Jill Tanner's repertoire of accents delineates characters of various ages and social classes in the story of three children growing up in the streets of Georgian London, under the spell of Astley's Circus and poet William Blake. Jem and Maisie Kellaway move to the city with their furniture-making father after their brother dies in an accident. There they meet Maggie, a girl who shepherds them through the wilds of the city. As the three grow from innocence into experience, parallels to Blake's words are powerful. Chevalier's descriptions of the city almost turn the setting into a character. The descriptions and Tanner's strong reading keep listeners involved in a book without a strong plot. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 07]