INVENTING NIAGARA Beauty, Power, and Lies

In this revisionist history of one of North America's most famous natural wonders, Ginger Strand skewers a lot of tired Niagara myths with a fresh voice and some fascinating research. The text is playful, and narrator Karen White is well tuned to Strand’s approach. However, White occasionally overemphasizes Strand's irony, reading in a cloying, sarcastic tone. This especially true when she delivers quotes from the people Strand interviewed, who often come across with a nerdiness that the author most likely doesn’t intend. The narration is far more successful when White reads in a more straightforward way and lets Strand's words speak for themselves. D.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2008]