THE BALLAD OF THE SAD CAFE

McCullers is one of the least prolific of American writers; this is her only collection of stories, and they revolve mostly around the impossibilities of love—in one case, a girl's love of music, but still a passion. The stories are, however, very distinct in tone, and the production has a different narrator for each—although one is disappointed that there’s no attribution for each story. The readings are uniformly fine, with appropriate regional accents that are more hinted at than broad. These subtle stories would be easy to overplay, but they get the delicate touch they require. Don't expect complete resolutions and happy endings, but do expect to hear from one of our finest storytellers through the voices of these top narrators. D.M.H. 2014 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2013]