THE CHRISTMAS QUILT

Sylvia's new housemate, Sarah McClure, insists on a festive Elm Creek Manor Christmas. In a box of decorations, the women find pieces of a quilt begun in Sylvia's childhood, with contributions from several family members. Christina Moore finds exactly the right voices for Sylvia and Sarah, as well as for the much older and younger family members in Sylvia's past. Moore switches effortlessly between the senior Sylvia and her childhood self, refraining from clichéd performances of either. Today's Sylvia sounds like a sensitive, complex, sometimes pained woman, very different from the adult her impetuous childhood personality promised. Each of Moore's male characters speaks with his own voice, and her narrative passages tie the package together with a beautiful Christmas bow. R.L.L. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]