Anne of Avonlea

Anne Shirley returns to Avonlea as the teacher at the local school while enjoying her many friends and experiencing the challenges of adult responsibilities. With a brisk pace and pleasant, natural style, O'Malley's voice makes a good match for Anne's sweet-natured temperament and higher energy. The many children's voices tend to sound alike--naòve, young and slightly higher pitched than the adult voices. Older women sound similar, with the exception of Marilla Cuthbert's, whose voice takes on a grainy texture in a lower tone. O'Malley gives the many narrative passages, and Anne's parts, a lively quality, while setting an overall tone of nostalgia to match the story. P.A.J. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine