THE SECRET GARDEN

This beloved classic about two lonely children who regain a love of life while tending a hidden garden has been handsomely produced numerous times, but Finola Hughes’s performance proves the world has ample room for an artful production. With her soothing, well-modulated voice, Hughes’s narration quickly ushers listeners into the story’s captivating world. She’s equally adept at creating each of the story’s memorable characters and handles the dialogue easily, moving with grace from lad-of-the-heath Dickon’s broad Yorkshire accent to Mary’s more schooled English accent. Hughes is as at ease with older characters as she is with younger ones. (Her crabby, elderly gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, is terrific.) With Hughes’s touch, this story will bloom beautifully in the listener’s imagination. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]