NORTH AND SOUTH

Set during the Civil War, this ambitious epic interweaves the lives of two families representative of both the North and the South. The story includes weighty themes, such as abolition, love, religion, revenge and death. Unfortunately, the recording doesn't live up to the story. The dialogue sounds unrealistic, and the Southern accents, especially those of slaves and women, are poor. Too many characters make for confusion, which is increased by the intermittent contributions of a second narrator. On the plus side are interesting sound effects, such as gunfire, wind and train whistles. A.G.H. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]