THE JOYS OF LOVE

Beloved for A WRINKLE IN TIME, Madeleine L' Engle did not receive much critical acclaim for her other work, including this semiautobiographical story of a young aspiring actress in New York. Maggi-Meg Reed brings it alive with just the right balance of pleasure and determination. Reed moves easily between a varied cast of characters, who are serving as apprentices in a theater production company. Her enunciation is suggestive of the 1940s setting of the narrative, and her choice of pacing has the effect of a play reading itself. Reed believably depicts both males and females and portrays a multitude of moods, including despair, hope, and, as the young protagonist falls in love, romance. M.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2008]