THE FIERY CROSS

Claire Fraser and her adult children must choose whether to stay in eighteenth-century North Carolina, or return through the stones (whatever they are) to twentieth-century Scotland, from whence they came. Family and friends in the Colonies hold powerful claims on their affection and loyalty. Geraldine James's lovely, lyrical voice presents an enjoyable performance, despite a choppy abridgment and plot components puzzling to those who haven't read earlier books in the series. Her dialects of Scottish, English, and Irish characters come across convincingly, but the stereotypical performance given to Claire's Boston-born daughter falls short of the mark. Still, James moves through the story with a lively pace and engaging manner. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]