Keeper of the Doves

Amid elegant surroundings, Amen McBee tries to sort out her life: her four sisters whose names all start with "A"--Abigail, Augusta, Arabella, and Anabella--her prudish Aunt Pauline, and a mysterious man, Mr. Tominski, who lives on their estate, The Willows. Cassandra Campbell presents the innocent, but wiser-than-her years, Amen eloquently and matches the mood of this bygone era. Soft and gentle is the story, and so is the presentation. Set at the turn of the century, the novel makes listeners yearn for ice-cold lemonade on the veranda and the scent forsythia on the breeze. Not a bit didactic, the story delivers a powerful message concerning thoughtless words and unintended consequences. D.L.M. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

September 29, 2003
"Giff meticulously re-creates the Great Hunger as she traces a 19th-century Irish girl's struggle to survive," wrote PW. Ages 8-12.