CAMILLA

First published more than a half-century ago, this work could have seemed dated to young adults today. But Ann Marie Lee's narration—which delivers absorbing personalities and raw emotions—makes this coming-of-age story fresh. Camilla is an overprotected 15-year-old who suddenly takes a new look at her circumstances—her mother's infidelity and suicide attempt, her father's workaholic tendencies, and her own innocence. Lee adopts tones that accurately depict Camilla's fragile mother and cold-blooded father. She delivers dynamic portrayals of their conflicts and Camilla's consuming perplexed reactions to them. Lee also portrays Camilla’s experience of first love, specifically the intensity with which she and her beloved struggle to understand the world and seek life's vibrancy. S.W. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2010]