DEAR AMERICA: LIKE THE WILLOW TREE

When their parents fall victim to the influenza epidemic of 1918, 11-year-old Lydia Pierce and her older brother, Daniel, are taken by their uncle to live in the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine. Through Lydia’s diary entries we come to experience Shaker life and to appreciate her grieving, acceptance, and eventual appreciation for the community. Sara Barnett is a fresh, earnest narrator. With an unpretentious voice and steady pacing she maintains the intensity of Lydia’s observations on her new life. Portraying a girl who is experiencing so much change, Barnett is sad but never maudlin, complimentary but never saccharine. Historical information about the Sabbathday Lake Shaker community past and present and Shaker music complete the production. The team of Lowry and Barnett has created a satisfying tribute to Shaker life. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]