THE DESERT OF WHEAT

Jim Gough is the perfect reader for this story of a young Washington wheat farmer, torn between love and the urge to defend America against Germany in WWI. Gough's precise but casual performance emphasizes Grey's message, the permanence of the earth, stars, and the annual wheat crop, the impermanence of material things. He dramatizes moments of romance and "man's inhumanity to man" with his mellow style and baritone voice, which take the listener to a campfire where Westerners tell tall tales amid the beautiful Western landscape. Listeners, young and old, will enjoy Grey's way with words and Gough's relaxing cowboy drawl. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]