WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL

Anybody who has happy memories of fried green tomatoes and the Whistle Stop Cafe will want to follow Fannie Flagg to Elmwood Springs, Missouri. This old-fashioned town, reminiscent of Jan Karon's Mitford, becomes the emotional lodestone for a dazzling TV celebrity named Dena Nordstrom, whose mysterious past is threatening to destroy her. As the plot weaves back and forth in time, Kate Reading captures the highly individual voices of each of the many people who have haunted Dena's troubled life. Listening to Reading is a treat; her voice is almost like that of a beloved aunt telling stories on the front porch. Especially memorable: her interpretation of "Neighbor Dorothy" broadcasting on radio from her living room back in the '40's. J.C. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 99]