SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN

Former "Golden Girl" Rue McClanahan is a great match for Trobaugh's tale of small-town life in the South during WWII. McClanahan provides each character with a different voice, the best being that of Ruth, an example of all that can be bad, suspicious, and meddling in a small-town dynamic. As Sophie, the lead character, falls in love with Mr. Oto, a Japanese-American gardener, townsfolk talk, and McClanahan captures the essence of harsh gossip and the toll it takes on each character. And McClanahan's reading of Miss Anne's narrations are as smooth and conversational as a cup of tea with an old, well-loved relative. The only hurdle in the presentation is her slow pace; while it 's a good fit for the Southern drawl of each character, it slows down one's involvement with the story. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]