A Place on Earth

The titular place on earth is the rural community of Port William, Kentucky, where family sticks together and neighbors lend a hand. Paul Michael gives voice to Berry's beautiful prose, carrying the listener through life's cycle of birth and death as complicated by the events of WWII. Central is Matt's struggle to cope with his son, Virgil's, status as missing in action, a piece of news that arrives shortly before Virgil's daughter's birth. Ultimately, Matt's sense of place brings him serenity. Michael's subtle characterizations offer emotion and levity in just the right doses. He applies sweet Southern accents just as easily as he tosses out amusing colloquialisms. Don't miss his depiction of Port William's celebration of the end of the war. J.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from December 24, 2007
Christian Audio continues on its ambitious course to bring Wendell Berry's Port William Membership novels to the audio format with accomplished narrator Paul Michael once again demonstrating his tremendous range. Set in the closing months of World War II, Berry incorporates familiar characters from other works in the series without focusing on a particular individual or family. Instead, the town of Port William serves as the central protagonist, offering the uninitiated a Berry immersion course, though one that requires attentive and patient listening. The multiple story lines of loss and redemption weave together at a deliberate pace, much like the agrarian rhythms of planting and harvesting that Berry holds so dear. As always, Michael demonstrates a special knack for dialogue, especially the nuances of marriage, family and friendship in a rural community. Granted, when measured by the yardstick of the contemporary fiction marketplace, A Place on Earth
can certainly be described as demanding, but the excellent production offers a feast of the senses for discerning audiences. A Counterpoint paperback.