LADY IN WAITING

Susan Meissner uses the story device of a contemporary woman finding an antique objet d’art and then spins both their stories to logical, if predictable, conclusions. Donna Rawlins narrates the twenty-first-century Jane’s story. Jane’s husband of 22 years leaves her to have “time to think.” Then Jane finds a jeweled ring—engraved with her name. Rawlins accurately presents Jane as stunned and depressed, but the writing plods along, giving Rawlins little to do with a monochromatic character. Samantha Eggar picks up the tale in the sixteenth century, adding the sparkle and luster that saves this production. As 15-year-old seamstress Lucy Day and 11-year-old Lady Jane Grey (the ring’s original Jane), Eggar makes the story worth a listen. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2010]