THE BOOK OF RUTH

Rogers's reading of Jane Hamilton's tragedy takes some getting used to. Her voice cracks, and she affects the accent of the uneducated. But after a chapter or so, it becomes impossible to imagine Ruth, the courageous and bereft protagonist of Hamilton's moving novel, sounding like anyone other than Rogers. Her reading captures the wonder, innocence and compassion of Hamilton's heroine, who finds herself wedged between her perennially resentful mother and her chronically irresponsible husband. The listener cannot help but ache for Ruth because of her suffering and her earnestness--and even misses Rogers's voice after the last tape has ended. M.O. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT 97]