COURAGE FOR BEGINNERS

Casey Holloway's precise articulation captures precocious 12-year-old Mysti Murphy, who dreams of visiting Paris, though she has never left town due to her mother's agoraphobia. When her father is hospitalized, Holloway allows Mysti's vocal veneer of confidence to slip, and listeners realize how hard Mysti must work to convince herself that all is well within her family. Holloway's vocal characterizations give listeners a glimpse into the way each character struggles with his or her own fears. While Mysti's mother's voice is slow and resigned, her best friend speaks in clipped, defensive tones. Though Holloway's initial tone of bravado is assertive, even potentially abrasive, it contrasts well with her calmer, more self-aware tone as Mysti matures. E.M.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2014]