THE FREE FALL OF WEBSTER CUMMINGS The American Odyssey Collection

The understated delivery style that snagged Tom Bodett all those Motel 6 commercials doesn’t work as well for this audio production. Perhaps the large cast of eccentric characters do need to be toned down, but this style ultimately makes the plot difficult to follow. There’s one-armed Ed Flannigan, who drifts towards alcohol abuse until a fruit orchard saves him, and the senior book editor and advertising exec who are married and pregnant but living coasts away from each other. And then there’s the title character, who is sucked out of an airplane and lands unharmed, but newly motivated to find his birth parents. This is an audio for those who love homespun character-driven stories that meander as much as their heroes. S.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2009]