WEDDING GIFT

It’s difficult to imagine anyone surpassing the performances by narrators Jenna Lamia and January Lavoy in this story of antebellum Alabama. Alternating chapters harmonize as if read by one narrator with tremendous range. The character of Sarah Campbell represents the enslaved community, while mother and daughter Theodora and Clarissa Allen speak from the planters’ viewpoint. Each narrator evokes images of strong, resilient Sarah, tightly wound Theodora, and spoiled Clarissa. Focusing on a brutal white male-dominated society, Bodden dramatizes her characters’ common struggles and hopes. The gritty text spares no bitter detail without crowding out hope of redemption; the vocal presentation ensures that listeners, like the protagonists, will persevere. The unexpected notes played time and again leave no doubt: Nineteenth-century women of all backgrounds wore metaphorical, if not literal, chains. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]