THE BOOK OF THE MAIDSERVANT

Set in the fifteenth century, this intriguing tale takes listeners along as Johanna and her mistress, Dame Margery, leave England and join a group of pilgrims walking across Europe (including the Alps) on their way to Rome. Narrator Susan Duerden handles all the voices with panache—from Latin-speaking students to the group bully to snooty Dame Margery—while putting listeners squarely in the head and heart of Johanna, the maidservant. Pious Dame Margery turns out to be capricious and inconsiderate, for all her talk of conversing with the Virgin Mary, and Johanna is left to do the cooking, washing, and mending for the whole group. This is a vivid coming-of-age story, and Duerden is a real find as a narrator: warm, versatile, and real. M.M.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]