THE FORTUNATE ONES

Umansky's extraordinary historical fiction, based on a fictional painting by Chaim Soutine, brings two women together to find a way to mend their broken lives. Karen White's narration does not meet the challenge of such a complex story, which moves in a nonlinear fashion from 1939 Vienna to contemporary Los Angeles, with stops in London and New York along the way. White delivers the story in a singsong cadence that challenges the listener to stay engaged and follow the many changes of time, place, and character. Although she makes some effort to distinguish characters, her portrayals are inconsistent, and her flat delivery adds to the challenge of following the many people and events that weave through this story. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2017]