The Shrimp

Emily Smith’s gift is unusual: she can tell a quiet story which lingers and resonates. The Shrimp captures precisely the passion that shy Ben feels for shells and how, thanks to an imaginative teacher, his pursuit of it is transformed from nerdy to glamorous allowing Ben to re-evaluate himself. It’s a beguiling story and Tony Robinson’s slow reading of it captures the essence but the slow delivery also makes it more ponderous than necessary which will deter listeners.  (1 hr, unabridged)