A DROWNED MAIDEN'S HAIR

As listeners, we're rooting for orphan and troublemaker 11-year-old Maud Flynn from the moment we meet her singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" while locked in an outhouse. A seemingly perfect situation arises for Maud when spinster sisters adopt her, but things take an unsettling turn when they reveal that she is to be their "secret" child. Alma Cuervo delivers Schlitz's text with perfection. Cuervo's reading sets the stage for this gothic mystery, which takes place at the turn of the 1900s. Both tone and pacing lend a tenor of discomfort that ensure the listener feels just as uneasy as Maud does as she attempts to discover the secrets of the Hawthorne sisters. This production is well read, with clear and consistent vocal characterizations. J.K.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2008]