MAY 2012 - AudioFile
Miss Allen Liles is beginning her first job as a teacher at a small junior college in 1941 just before the U.S. enters WWII. She is young, naïve, and filled with a love of literature. Natalie Ross’s soft, calming voice sets a nostalgic tone and captivates the listener with the lush narrative and Allen’s inner thoughts. Ross charmingly portrays Allen’s youthful innocence as she crosses over the line of appropriate behavior with a male student, her ignorance about the imminent war, and her desire for something more exciting than a teaching job. In contrast to Allen’s authentic voice, the other characters’ voices seem overplayed. However, the overall effect is a delightful breeze through the past. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Arriving nearly 50 years after her bestselling debut, The Moonflower Vine, Carleton’s second novel is a witty and romantic portrait of a young Midwestern woman coming to grips with adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it.” — Publishers Weekly
“Evocative … Fine and dry, with a faint flavor of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Carleton’s vignette of innocence and experience has a bright wit and perceptive charm, rendered all the more enjoyable by its retro feel.” — Kirkus Reviews
MAY 2012 - AudioFile
Miss Allen Liles is beginning her first job as a teacher at a small junior college in 1941 just before the U.S. enters WWII. She is young, naïve, and filled with a love of literature. Natalie Ross’s soft, calming voice sets a nostalgic tone and captivates the listener with the lush narrative and Allen’s inner thoughts. Ross charmingly portrays Allen’s youthful innocence as she crosses over the line of appropriate behavior with a male student, her ignorance about the imminent war, and her desire for something more exciting than a teaching job. In contrast to Allen’s authentic voice, the other characters’ voices seem overplayed. However, the overall effect is a delightful breeze through the past. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
