THE TENTH GIFT

Two performers narrate a complex story that moves around in time, jaunts through various locales, and bridges the romance and mystery genres. Susan Duerden's crisp British accents portray modern-day embroiderer Julia Lovat, who is stunned by the rejection of her lover and his parting gift, a seventeenth-century book. The book reveals a partial history of a 19-year-old embroiderer named Cat, who was taken from her Penzance estate by Barbary pirates in the seventeenth century. Duerden executes a variety of roles--from Julia's manipulative ex-lover to the Muslim sea captain who captures Cat. John Lee's narration equals Duerden's as he also delivers multiple characters--from Cat's caring cousin, Robert, to a seventeenth-century Dutch servant. In the end their performances make a fine duet and strengthen the story's parallels. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]