Sula

Toni Morrison truly understands the power of language. In recording her 1973 novel, Morrison takes the opportunity to use the power of the spoken word to present her stunning language and images. It's particularly unusual for an author to record a book that is not new, but in doing so, Morrison provides an audio gem that can be cherished within the whole body of audiobook recordings. Her smooth, mellifluous voice has so much command over each word. She honors each sound and expresses each image vividly. While most listening can accompany other tasks like driving or exercising, Morrison smoothly draws the listener to complete attention. This is compelling listening: a dazzling presentation of Sula and Nel's lives, loves and losses, and of Morrison's brilliance. R.F.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

It was called "the Bottom," the hilly Negro section of town that a white farmer fooled his freed Negro into thinking was bottom land. "The bottom of heaven," he had called it. But it was a deceit and, because it was payment for a favor, a betrayal. Those who live in the Bottom, like Nell and Sula, have learned to endure betrayal and go on, smothering their anger with betrayal in their turn. Lynne Thigpen's narration possesses a grace and reserve that moderates Morrison's rich irony and makes tolerable her pain. Thigpen has a controlled intensity that ranges from anger, to wearied acceptance, to a lilting embrace of this betrayal. Thigpen's reading and Sula's own treachery remind us that the bottom of heaven, after all, is not far from hell. P.E.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine