THE TRAIN OF SMALL MERCIES

Robert F. Kennedy was about hope. This is the message that comes from David Rowell's novel about the day Kennedy's funeral train traveled from New York to Arlington, Virginia. Narrator Jeremy Davidson does some virtuoso voice work for the many people touched by the day's journey. They include an Irish nanny who is in Washington for a job interview, a new train porter whose chivalry becomes hazardous, a wounded soldier, and a woman who is dealing with her daughter's playground fall. Davidson keeps listeners interested as Rowell's narrative continually shifts from scene to scene. The events in the daily lives Rowell creates take center stage in this snapshot of a turbulent time in American history. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2012]