Short Stuff by Mark Stevens
Louis
Braille Audio, 2009.ISBN 978174212.
4CD's, lasting 4 hours
Working
Title Press, 2008
Mark
Stevens' short stories are brought hilariously to life by the clear,
funny
voice of Don Bridges. I loved the coach in the first story, with
reminiscences
of Michael Caine coming through. The reader gives each story a
different ring
through making it memorable and inviting the listeners to stay for the
whole
CD.
In
the first story, Henson longs to be a professional soccer player, and
his time
with the local soccer team is just his training time on the way to
fulfilling
his dream. Often his coach has to interrupt his dreams about his
prowess. But
on the Saturday that his team is about to win the local cup, his team
taking on
the Carver Hill mob, he wakes to a cloud hanging over his house. A few
metres
above his head, the cloud has a message and he feels impelled to ring
the phone
number emblazoned thereon. The Indian accent on the end of the phone
line tells
him to meet him outside his front door, and when he opens it he finds
Finnias.
From then on the laughs come thick and fast, as Fininas calls another
person to
log the incident with Geraldine the cloud.
Don
Bridges' wonderful voice takes on the young Henson, the amiable
Finnias, Amos
the coach, various friends and family, beautifully. He modulates his
voice to
enable all listeners to hear the difference between the different
people and
the passages linking the conversations. His voice contains an undertone
of
humour which suits the style of the text, and his clear voice allows
the
listener to hear every word. As a filler in a classroom, as a start to
the day,
a lunchtime activity, or to borrow and take home to listen, for parents
taking
the kids on a trip, whatever the need, audio books like this are
invaluable.
Fran
Knight