Sophie and the Rising Sun.

Augusta Trobaugh, 2001. Read by Rue McClanahan, Abridged. 4 tapes, 6.5 hrs. Random House Audio. 0-553-52886-6. $25.95. Cardboard and plastic; plot notes. SA *

Salty Creek, GA, is a small, sleepy town in 1941. Lifelong resident Miss Anne has taken in Mr. Otto, an Asian man who was dropped off in the town, very ill. during his bus journey through the area. Sophie, a spinster who lost her love in WW I and then dedicated herself to raking care of her mother and maiden aunts, encounters Mr. Otto on visits to Miss Anne and around town. Mr. Otto is smitten. Sophie gradually comes to feel a special bond with him that will be tested by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the gossip and prejudice of a small town. Their stories are told alternately by Miss Anne and in the third person from the perspectives of Sophie and Mr. Otto. The gentle awakening of love for these two lonely people is told with grace and insight by the author.

McClanahan is remarkable in her ability to capture the slightly dry, wavering voice of the aged Miss Anne, the careful diction and quiet dignity of Mr. Otto, and the soft Southern tones of Sophie. There is never a misstep in the narration, and the narrator, immersing the listener in these people's lives, enhances the atmosphere of time and place created by the author. Highly recommended. Melody A. Moxley, Admin. Svcs. Mgr., Rowan P.L., Salisbury, NC