13 RUE THÉRÈSE

Listeners are transported to Paris—in both modern times and the early decades of the last century—as American scholar Trevor Stratton explores the contents of a treasure box that once belonged to a woman who lost her first love in the Great War and lived through the German occupation of the second war. Jefferson Mays's skilled narration is bracketed by Mia Barron’s. Mays's expressive reading and believable accents are not enough to transform this illustrated novel into a satisfying audio experience. Listeners sense that the book contains important images and feel lost without the visual cues to time period and point of view. The author's Web site contains photos of some of the objects Trevor found in the box. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]