The L - Shaped Room

Harriet Walter gives a sensitive and humorous rendition of this tale of a young woman who takes up residence in a sordid room in London after being turned out by her father. Walter does justice to Lynne Reid Banks's delightful and diverse characters--serving up a cast ranging from sweet-but-tough Jane (the unmarried and pregnant heroine), to a West Indian jazz musician, to the cranky landlady with louse-filled beds. Walter's graceful narration perfectly suits the self-revelatory nature of the story and leads gently toward the tale's sweet, if predictable, conclusion. Listeners will surely know they're in the hands of an excellent storyteller. R.B.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine