A PLACE ON EARTH

The titular place on earth is the rural community of Port William, Kentucky, where family sticks together and neighbors lend a hand. Paul Michael gives voice to Berry's beautiful prose, carrying the listener through life's cycle of birth and death as complicated by the events of WWII. Central is Matt's struggle to cope with his son, Virgil's, status as missing in action, a piece of news that arrives shortly before Virgil's daughter's birth. Ultimately, Matt’s sense of place brings him serenity. Michael's subtle characterizations offer emotion and levity in just the right doses. He applies sweet Southern accents just as easily as he tosses out amusing colloquialisms. Don't miss his depiction of Port William's celebration of the end of the war. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]