DATING BIG BIRD

This friendly, enthusiastic audiobook will appeal to anyone who has ever felt the pressures of a “biological clock.” Hicks introduces the listener to Ellen, a single, successful career woman who believes that happiness can be found shopping at BabyGap and reading Madeline for the tenth time. Alas, many obstacles stand in the narrator’s way. Witnessing the journey through, over, and around these obstacles is made entertaining by Hicks’s account of Ellen’s friends. The only drawback is the nasal lisp affected for the voice of Ellen’s niece, “The Pickle.” The book is best when it avoids over- emphasized sentimentality and simply shares a good story. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 01]