The Surrender Tree

This fascinating, beautifully crafted history follows Cuba's nineteenth-century struggles for independence from Spain. In alternating viewpoints and voices, we hear from Rosa, a Cuban healer; Lieutenant Death, a slave hunter who chases her; and Weyler, a ruthless Spanish army officer. Written in free verse, the novel presents a challenge to the narrators, who have to respect both the form of the poetry and the flow of the story. Unfortunately, Yesenia Cabrero, who presents Rosa's parts (which make up the bulk of the audiobook), reads too slowly, often with the wrong emphasis, pausing because she comes to the end of a line, regardless of whether it's the end of a thought or a sentence. The four other narrators read more naturally, which makes Rosa's sections distract even more. J.M.D. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine