Sweetwater Creek.

SWEETWATER CREEK. Anne Rivers Siddons. 2005. Read by Anna Fields. 9 cds. 11 hrs. BBC Audiobooks America. 0-7927-3739-3. $89.95. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. SA

Emily Parmenter lives on an old plantation near Charleston. Her life revolves around the land, the creek, the Boynton spaniels her family raises, and her beloved dog Elvis. All these help her survive the absence of her mother (who vanished when she was young) and the death of her beloved older brother. When Lulu Foxworth, college-age debutante from a prominent Charleston family, arrives to spend the summer, her father sees this as a way for him to at last enter the rarified world of Charleston society and Emily thinks she may have found a friend. But Lulu is fighting terrible demons that none of the Pamenters can guess at.

This novel is atmospheric, truly capturing the sense of low county South Carolina life. At first, some of narrator Fields's characterizations seem just a bit overdone, but both she and the listener soon settle into the sound of the region and they seem to fit the novel. Her narration conveys the emotions of the story and each character is fully realized, especially Emily, Lulu, and Lulu's grandmother. Siddons writes perceptively of the inner life of a girl entering adulthood, and of another struggling with the challenges of dealing with a sexual obsession. Consequently, there is some strong material here that makes the novel appropriate for mature high school students and adults. This production will fully involve the listener. Melody Moxley, Admin. Svcs. Mgr., Rowan PL, Salisbury, NC

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.