PASADENA

Lorna Raver performs with great intelligence and enthusiasm. Her flexible voice reaches from sultry to shrill to raspy effortlessly. She makes listening to this sprawling melodrama a treat. In his Southern California Gothic romance, David Ebershoff traces the development of Pasadena after WWI. Land developer Andrew Blackwood envisions the economic possibilities that will come with peace. Linda Stamp finds herself passionately drawn to the darkly handsome (and aptly named) Bruder. Willis Poore, whose secret ties him to Bruder, struggles to save his doomed orange plantation. While the period prose descriptions may seem florid and there may be too many coincidences for believability, Ebershoff tells some fascinating stories, and Raver’s narrative talents keep things from going too far south. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]