THE LOST GIRL

Part of the magic of audiobooks is that they allow one to enjoy works that might be difficult to digest in print form. So it is (for this listener, at least) with Lawrence’s tale of a young woman’s quest to find herself; it might seem endless in print, but narrator Johanna Ward makes the journey pleasant. She takes the listener through Alvina Houghton’s struggles with a dreaming father, sickly mother, and rejected suitors. Ward’s characterizations give the listener vocal snapshots of the key players. Perhaps the most satisfying part of Alvina’s journey to Italy is not her romance, but the spark that Ward brings to that country’s language. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 02/ JAN 03]