Cider With Rosie

Laurie Lee reads with a lyricism and tenderness which makes the evocation of his childhood in Slad valley extremely moving. His gentle Gloucestershire vowels make particularly touching the portrait of his vital, admirable mother battling alone against rural poverty, fired by the hope that one day the husband who'd abandoned her would return. Lee's voice somehow conveys a tinge of sadness behind the brightness of village life. Excellent for classroom use, as this is a very popular GCSE text, as well as for general enjoyment. An abridged version is available from LfP Argo.