One of Ours

Louis B. Jack narrates Willa Cather's 1923 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, based on her cousin's life. Claude Wheeler, the son of a wealthy farmer and a pious mother, feels discontented with attending a Christian college. Jack portrays Wheeler as a charming young man who strives to learn how to lead a meaningful life. Endearing and loyal housekeeper Mahailey, a former slave who deeply cares for the Wheeler family, is Jack's most memorable creation. Listeners will feel a shift in Wheeler when he joins the military--finally feeling a sense of purpose--and sails for France. Descriptions of the ocean voyage, his fellow soldiers, and scenes of the dead and dying on the battlefield are vivid and sometimes disturbing. Jack's delivery of the emotive conclusion is heartbreaking. S.G.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine