THE DAUGHTER'S WALK

To walk 3,500 miles across the country from Spokane, Washington, to New York City for $10,000 in 1896 is quite a feat. Just to pay debts? Or is there an alternative motivation? Kimberly Farr narrates the adventures of 19-year-old Clara Estby and her Swedish mother, Helga, as mother and daughter make their way from town to town. Farr’s performance is flat—she barely varies her inflections even as the two women begin to develop stronger identities and a sense of independence in the face of their journey. As Clara tells the story, the listener is treated to her stern late-nineteenth-century attitudes and values. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]