Justice is a Woman - Hardcover

Elly and Joe Remington marry and settle in Joe's rural hometown, but Elly can't forget her aristocratic background and tries to put everyone in their place, much to the chagrin of her husband. She rapidly becomes disliked by the town and her husband's friends. Can she fix the mess she's made? Elizabeth Henry reads this tale in a slow, terse voice and creates the characters with shrill intonation and a panoply of accents. Henry's characterization of Elly fits her perfectly, making the listener dislike her as much as the townspeople in the story. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

This will be a popular item for light summer listening. Cookson's (The Year of the Virgins, Audio Reviews, LJ 7/94) story, set in the English countryside, follows the disastrous marriage of a young Englishman from its beginnings in the 1920s to a happy, if not traditional, conclusion in the 1940s. The young man, Joe Remington, and his new bride Elaine return to his family home near Felburn. Elly cannot understand why Joe treats the servants as if they are, well, human. When Elly becomes pregnant, much against her wishes, she insists that her sister Betty come to care for her and the household. Betty is as plain as Elly is pretty and as kind as Elly is cruel. Will the good woman, Betty, end up with the good man, Joe, when his wife, who we are none too sorry to see go, is conveniently removed from the picture? Elizabeth Henry gives a fine reading, providing each character with a distinct voice and personality. This isn't profound literature; the plot is somewhat contrived, and the characters don't have much depth, even if the story moves along quite well. Still, Cookson's fans will check this out, and others seeking a light listen will enjoy it, too. Recommended for popular collections.?Nancy Paul, Brandon P.L., Wis.
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