MANY MILES

Poet Mary Oliver's voice is steady, warm, mature, and gently raspy as she reads 41 of her poems from various collections. The first part is inspirational and uplifting as Oliver explores and celebrates the spirituality of the natural world. The second part is more melancholy (the flip side of abundant, ecstatic life), and the overall effect for the listener is a meditative one. Oliver is not a professional reader, but her words and images have a different and equally valuable and powerful impact as spoken in her voice instead of printed on a page. Fans will want to have this on their bookshelves. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]