SNAKEWOMAN OF LITTLE EGYPT

Narrator Coleen Marlo has ample opportunities to shine with an unlikely combination of characters: recent parolee Snakewoman (aka Sunny); her snake-handling preacher husband, Earl; an anthropologist named Jackson; and a professor named Claire, who can’t stick to her marriage vows. Although the narration opens in a straightforward fashion, Sunny’s Kentucky roots begin to come through as she describes shooting Earl and serving time. Marlo also nails Claire’s upper-class origins and cavalier attitude. Although descriptions of Jackson’s African fieldwork are intriguing, his explorations amid a religious cult make for better audio storytelling. While the author seems to have hammered too heavily on parts of the tale and too lightly on others, Marlo’s reading is engaging, lively, and true to character. J.J.B. 2011 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2010]