A SITTING IN ST. JAMES

Machelle Williams skillfully narrates this sprawling story of generational secrets in antebellum Louisiana. La Petite Cottage plantation is home to three generations of Guilberts, as well as the enslaved people who make their lifestyle possible. The family matriarch’s decision to sit for her portrait begins a chain of events that will upend everyone’s fortunes. Williams weaves a hypnotic spell, pulling the listener along to meet the huge cast of characters and hear their tangled stories. Williams’s deliberate pace, which might otherwise frustrate listeners, is kept lively by her shrewdly observed character voices. Chief among them is the exquisitely sharp tongue of imperious Madame Sylvie, mistress of the plantation. Williams makes clear the intricate language switching common to Creole Louisiana among both enslavers and the enslaved. N.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]