Twenties
Girl ,
by Lee Child (Read by Rosalyn Landor)
Laura Lington is persistent -- if not especially
successful -- especially when it comes to business and
romance. Perhaps that's the reason Great Aunt Sadie
chooses her to undertake a very important mission. Sitting
at the pitifully impersonal funeral of her great aunt,
Laura's musings about the absence of flowers and mourners
for her 103-year-old relative are interrupted by a shrill,
"Where's my necklace?"
Realizing that she's the only one to hear
the voice she looks around for the source and spies
an ethereal, youthful Sadie in 1920s garb. Although
initially reluctant, she agrees to help Sadie find a
special necklace that disappeared before her death.
Using wit, charm and more than a little chutzpah, Laura
interrupts the funeral, delays the burial and convinces
her family that she's lost her mind. They attribute
her irrational behavior to her recent romantic and business
failures, so they accept her demands and she and Sadie's
ghost are off to find the necklace.
In a departure from the very popular "Shopaholic"
series, Sophie Kinsella creates a character whose motivation
is to help someone else, not merely to keep herself
out of difficulties. But like shopaholic Rebecca, Laura
is inventive, persistent, determined, imaginative and
charming. In the course of looking for the necklace
she learns a great deal from the opinionated Sadie about
love, fashion, dancing, values, friendship and self-esteem.
She also unearths family secrets as the mystery and
intrigue surrounding the necklace are revealed.
Rosalyn Landor's narration gives believability
not only to the irrepressible Laura, but to feisty ghost
Sadie and a large cast of male and female friends, relatives
and business associates of all ages and social rankings.
Thanks to her skillful presentation, the sadness and
humor in this lighthearted story dovetail seamlessly
for a very satisfying experience. Listeners looking
for further adventures of Kinsella's heroines will not
be disappointed in Twenties Girl. Once again
the "That Girl meets Lucy" main
character charms and beguiles from the first page to
the last.
Ruth
Mormon
8/14/09
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