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Title: The Witches of Lublin - Collectors Edition (includes The Devil's Brides Music)

Author: Ellen Kushner, Elizabeth Schwartz, Yale Strom

Narrator: Ellen Kushner, Miriam Margolyes, Neil Gaiman, Simon Jones, Barbara Rosenblat

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-14-11

Publisher: SueMedia Productions

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

While they prepare for Passover, a family of Jewish women klezmer musicians struggles for survival, but music and love prove not enough, only the unthinkable can save them. Also features The Devil's Brides, music inspired by the audio play.

Producer/Director: Sue Zizza

Starring: Tovah Feldshuh

Featuring: Neil Gaiman, Simon Jones, Barbara Rosenblat

Additional voices: Anne Bobby, Joanne Borts, Elizabeth Boskey, SueAnne Dennehy, Lucien Dodge, Joyce Feurring, Sam Guncler, Courtney Hahn, Stewart Hamilton, Tim Jerome, Ellen Kushner, Jim Mundy, Elizabeth Schwartz, Yelena Shmulenson, Richard Solow, Nick Sulivan

Musicians: Yale Strom, Elizabeth Schwartz, Alexander Fedoriouk, Sprocket, Peter Stan

SFX artists: Butch DAmbrosio, Silvana Pinto

Master engineer: David Shinn

Cover illustration: Ilene Winn-Lederer

Critic Reviews:

"I love the meticulous, evocative layering of voice and effects, which draw you deep into a mysterious tale of faith, family and art. Sue Zizza and her talented crew get textured and touching work from a great cast. Bewitching audio drama!" (David Cote, Time Out New York)

"A real winner! Great acting, music, production values, and a terrific script makes this story very accessible, even to those who are not Jewish. I was caught up in the story, couldn't wait to hear what happened next." (Tom Lopez, ZBS Foundation)

As Rivke, Tovah Feldshuh is perfect. (Amy Goldschlager, Locus Listens to Audiobooks)

Members Reviews:

I Have a Song

I stumbled across The Witches of Lublin when I was browsing what had been nominated for the Audie Awards - saw that it had been co-written by Ellen Kushner (of Swordspoint fame) and featured Neil Gaiman as one of the actors. It was co-written by musicians Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom. It's beautiful and haunting - a heartbreaker of audio drama. It's kind of pricey compared to other audio books and programs of much greater length available at Audible, but I've now listened to it twice, and it's worth every cent.

It's Poland, 1797, a difficult time and place for Jewish people, which makes it all the more dangerous for a small group of Jewish women doubling as "klezmer" musicians. Rivke is the daughter of a supposed Jewish mystic (the table used to rise when they sang together as a family), and she leads a band of her two unmarried daughters, and orphaned granddaughter. Women playing music in a crowd mixed with men is forbidden, but Rivke and her family need the money it brings in for the coming Passover. It doesn't take long for word of their incredible music to spread, which makes things uncomfortable for the struggling women, and leads the story to it's captivating, haunting climax.

The audio drama is just under an hour's length. It's jam packed with amazing music (courtesy of Yale Strom) and sound effects - but all of that goes toward enhancing the story, not detracting from it. This is in no small part to the performances - particularly Tovah Feldshuh as Rivke. I've already started searching for books she's read, her voice was so mesmerizing. The rest of the cast does a great job supporting Feldshuh. As Sofia, Elizabeth Boskey's stunning voice captures innocence, idealism, and naivete.