THE GIRLS OF SLENDER MEANS

In a London lodging club for single women, life after the blitz is a struggle, yet this novel opens like a 1945 version of chick-lit as residents trade gossip and ration coupons. Several of the eponymous girls are so slender they can slither through the gap in a lavatory window to sunbathe and cavort with boyfriends on the roof—but their hip measurements, and their climbing skills, will come to have more than passing significance. Listeners who appreciate MEMENTO MORI and THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE will enjoy this, with one proviso. The sheer number of young female characters challenges the narrator—the very fine Nadia May—who wisely chooses a straight read. The resulting recording is transparent and effective, but not particularly variable in tone or dynamic range. J.L.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2009]