THE USED WORLD

Kimmel uses Hazel Hunnicut's "Used World Emporium," a vast empire of secondhand books, furniture, and bric-a-brac, as the setting and central symbol for her most recent novel. She weaves it through the lives of her three main characters. While six-foot-five-inch Claudia and delicate, red-haired Rebekah both work there, Hazel is the owner and a kind of impresario, directing the sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous show. All three, though, carry heartbreaking pasts, used worlds of their own that Hazel helps transform into a richer present. Narrator C.J. Critt's reading is at once energetic and personal. She effortlessly draws a wide range of characters out of her deep, even gravelly, voice. The effect is soft and delicately intimate, perfect for the harsh discoveries the reader is to make. P.E.F. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]