ANITA

Neil Gaiman Presents reintroduces listeners to Keith Roberts’s flirty witch, Anita. Anita flits about an idyllic British countryside tackling magical good deeds in spite of Granny’s strict tutelage. Her other hobby is ensorcelling most of the male population! Narrator Nicola Barber quickly enchants listeners with Anita’s spells, but it takes a few chapters to puzzle out the story’s loose episodic format. Barber realistically portrays Anita’s mercurial shifts from delight to despair. She also establishes the contrast between Anita and Granny. Anita’s silvery voice sweetly cajoles while Gran’s broad shire dialect sounds as thick as pudding. Barber unites the two with carefully paced prose that invites listeners to find magic in every moment. C.A. 2013 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2013]