A WORLD LOST

Wendell Berry writes prose with the heart of a poet. The words of his novel evoke scenes and emotions the way good poetry does. As a result, this work translates well to audio. Berry takes the listener to Appalachian Kentucky in 1944, when the narrator's namesake, a black sheep uncle, is murdered. Now approaching his sixtieth birthday, the narrator still is coming to grips with the event and the conspiracy of silence that surrounded it. Michael Kramer offers an able reading. Because the narrator is older and looking back, Kramer uses his natural voice, even when quoting the narrator as a child. He gives other youngsters just a hint of youth in their dialogue. For all the characters he delivers a bit of a Mountain accent without being artificial or making the book difficult to listen to. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2010]