THE BALLAD OF LAUREL SPRINGS

Seven narrators perform these tragic love stories, which echo one another through the years. When 10-year-old Grace asks her mother about a "murder ballad" called "Pretty Polly," she learns it's about her "three times" great-grandmother, Polly, who died tragically in the 1890s. Each chapter, skillfully narrated by a different narrator, features four elements: a descendant of Polly, a child, a murder ballad, and a death. The narrators craft their performances to embrace the rural Appalachian culture and the women who sing these sad songs. While listeners rarely hear the melodies of these haunting murder ballads, their meanings ring clear, as do the string of tragic love stories, each revolving around a folk song that harkens back to Polly. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2021]