The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls
DiSclafani, Anton (Author) and Verson, Adina (Reader)
In 1931, 15-year-old Thea Atwell finds herself exiled from her gracious home in the Florida wilderness to an elite equestrian boarding school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Having grown up incredibly sheltered and isolated, Thea focuses on riding as she mourns her separation from her fraternal twin brother, learns to navigate her way through the complicated world of girls, and experiences a sexual awakening. This is a lush, gothic tale, well served by Verson’s measured southern drawl and deliberately paced narration. Her reading has a hypnotic quality, drawing the listener in as Thea reflects upon her time at Yonahlossee, slowly unspooling the mysterious tragedy behind her stay there. Verson huskily brings to life Thea’s urgency during this time in her life, told through a series of flashbacks, while maintaining an overall languid effect evocative of both the Deep South setting and the distance between the experiences and their recollection, the result of which is a satisfying, if a bit unsettling, listen. — Magan Szwarek (Booklist, February 1, 2014 Issue)
