IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS

Father Tim and Cynthia arrive in Ireland for a long-anticipated vacation from Mitford. When Cynthia is injured, their stay at an Irish B&B is extended, and Tim befriends Liam and Anna Conor, owners of the establishment. He soon becomes confidant and adviser to the entire dysfunctional Conor family. Erik Singer's moving portrayal of Liam's dying mother and her inability to forgive herself for a lifetime of alcoholism is genuine and rich with emotion. However, although he tries to breathe life into a confusing multiplicity of characters, there are too many, too fast, making listeners wonder who's alive and who’s dead. Long and tedious diary segments further take away from the story. Between confusing characterizations, slow sections, and often-hard-to-understand Irish accents, there’s little "Mitford" in this book, except for Father Tim. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2010]