From Booklist
Fourteen-year-old Sophie Chabot, a new girl in a small Tennessee town, is attracted to Crow Davenport, a guitarist in a rock band and member of a prominent local family. After Sophie is sexually attacked in the woods, Crow is arrested and charged with the crime. Town secrets and the uncertainties of teenage love are at the center of a firestorm that engulfs the town. Williams’ tone and pacing underscore the tensions and passions of young love, the rage and violence of adolescent boys, and the bargains parents make to keep their children safe. She is adept at the lilting Southern accent of Crow’s mother and the bristling authoritarian growl of his father as well as the frank hysteria of Sophie and the sympathetic murmurs of her mother. An African American band member’s voice sounds southern, young, and uncertain. Williams’ sympathetic reading allows listeners to follow the plot as it shifts back and forth in time. --Mary McCay
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
From AudioFile
At times, this audiobook tries to be more substantial than it is, occasionally offering overwrought, inconsistent accents and at times emphasizing an awkward literary style. What begins as a teenage romantic moment in the woods turns terrifying when a girl is attacked and her boyfriend is blamed. Background stories about the townspeople fill the pages, as well, with mixed results, and sometimes Christine WilliamsÕs voice sounds forced and uncomfortable with what sheÕs reading. The pacing of both novel and performance varies widely, with inconsequential moments often taking center stage and significant developments transpiring quickly. In spite of all this, the production still offers enough of a diverting listen to hold oneÕs attention, if only to see how it all ends. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
