The Measure of a Lady

Julia Gibson portrays boomtown San Francisco during the California Gold Rush with textured characterizations and lightly accented enunciations. In a soft, cultured voice she portrays the proper 20-year-old Rachel Van Buren, who is determined to provide a home for her younger brother and sister after their father's sudden death. At the same time, she seeks to understand her own mystifying but undeniable attraction to Johnnie Parker, the town's saloon keeper. In a voice that captures excitement, humor, and anxiety, Gibson depicts Rachel's spiritual struggles as she confronts both her feelings and a wild, ribald city without female refinements. Gibson's crisp diction matches the romantic tension in this wholesome love story. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine