I started listening to Carson McCuller's Heart is a Lonely Hunter because it was read by Cherry Jones, who has the most lovely rich voice. She is a stage actress and you can tell. The first chapter was heartbreaking about an very unequal friendship between two deaf mutes, Singer and Antonapoulos, "an obese and dreamy Greek". Other characters are trotted out, a tomboyish 12 year old named Mick, a black doctor and his very sweet daughter Portia, a restaurant owner named Biff, a labor organizer and no one is as compelling. Singer is presented as a blank slate who everyone puts their dreams and hopes in to. At some point short of sitting in my car for 8 hours I gave up on the CD's and got the book. Things got worse without Cherry there to lure me in with her voice. In the end I couldn't wait to put it down. I thankfully tossed it aside three days ago wishing that it had only contained deaf mutes. Read the first chapter---skip the rest. Go see Cherry Jones in a play someday!
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