Tar Baby

Valerian and Margaret seem to have everything on their Caribbean Island, where they are attended by Ondine and Sydney, their loyal black servants. When Sydney and Ondine's niece, Paris-educated Jadine, visits, she enjoys guest privileges, while her aunt and uncle continue to serve. Crashing their genteel charade, Son, a desperate black man on the run, forces them to confront the truth of their lives. Turmoil unfolds in a world of magical realism, in which butterflies worry about baby seals being made into a coat, avocados have opinions, and myth is alive in the trees. Desirée Coleman's voice is as lush as the tropical rain-forest Morrison creates. In the book's moodier moments, Coleman manages a dark edginess. Her performance adds sensuousness to the magic, reflecting Morrison's hypnotic vision of the vagaries of the human heart. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Retired industrialist Valerian Street and his wife, Margaret, live comfortably in their glorious house on a perfect Caribbean island. A black servant couple who has worked for them for many years continues to care for them and is adept at keeping family secrets. All that changes when the catalytic intrusion of a strange black man opens Pandora's box. Alfre Woodard, an elegant and profound performer, transforms herself from black servant to cultivated white businessman. Her insightful portrayal of Valerian's unstable wife reveals the horrible truth about the woman's shortcomings. Woodard moves into saucy uptown mode as she introduces the listener to Jadine, the successful and beautiful model living in the Street home. Morrison's diversified character spectrum is bold and intense. Woodard's stamina and performance capability deliver all the emotion and interpersonal insights of Morrison's powerful story. B.J.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

An unlikely combination of people living on a Caribbean island tries to sort out their relationships with each other. Only Toni Morrison could imagine such a group and the dynamics it generates. Lynne Thigpen's measured tones and smoky voice capture the tropical pace of the story. While most of her characters are not dramatized, they are clearly identifiable. It's a bit disconcerting to hear a former beauty queen from Maine's Aroostook County and a retired Philadelphia business leader speaking with a pronounced Southern dialect, but they are at least consistent. Thigpen brings both insight and resignation to the layers of complexity Morrison creates for each character. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine