NINETEEN STEPS

Millie Bobby Brown masterfully presents a story inspired by her grandmother's experiences in England during WWII. Listeners meet Nellie Morris as the war rages around her. Brown skillfully changes her delivery as the story demands. She's at her best introducing precious 7-year-old Flora and neighbor Billy, whose love for Nellie is heartbreaking and life-affirming. Evocative descriptions of sheltering in London Underground stations during the bombings offer listeners a graphic view of what the locals endured nightly for months. As everyone pulls together to survive, their fury at the situation is palpable. The story comes full circle as elderly Nellie attends the fiftieth anniversary of the war and experiences a moving encounter. Audio enhances this very personal and powerful depiction. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2023]