La's Orchestra Saves the World

While Emily Gray's narration is excellent, this story, spanning the years before WWII and after, may seem a little too charming for the horrors and atrocities of the period. After only a few years of marriage, La, short for Lavender, retreats to a Suffolk farmhouse after being abandoned by her unfaithful husband. As the war intensifies, La joins the Women's Land Army and endears herself to the quirky townspeople with her kindness, which includes organizing a small orchestra. Emily Gray depicts the novel's characters with exceptional energy, clarity, and distinctiveness. Her portrayal of La is especially poignant as it mirrors the title character's maturing outlook on life while struggling with loss and heartbreak. Many listeners will discover that the story lingers longer than they might expect. M.H.N. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

September 28, 2009
Set mainly during WWII in England, this quiet story about a woman who makes a new life for herself falls short of bestseller Smith's best work. After La Stone's husband leaves her for another woman in France, La retreats to a small cottage in Suffolk given to her by her mortified in-laws. The isolation and peacefulness suit La, who joins the Women's Land Army soon after the outbreak of war. When Feliks Dabrowski, an attractive Polish ex-pat, is assigned to the same farm where La is assisting with chores, La is attracted to him, despite her suspicions that Feliks hasn't been fully truthful about his past. La's idea to launch an amateur local orchestra to boost morale proves an unexpected success and helps give her purpose during the war's darkest days. While the understated prose appeals, La just isn't as interesting a creation as the author's two female sleuths, Precious Ramotswe (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
) and Isabel Dalhousie (The Sunday Philosophy Club
).