We went to a reading of a novel called “The Garden Lady” by author Susan Dworkin, who lives in Becket and is a frequent contributor to The Edge. It was held at The Bookstore in Lenox. We had read the book and had thoroughly enjoyed it – it’s a thriller with an engrossing ethical sub-plot – and we were interested to hear the author’s actual voice. It turned out that hearing Dworkin’s story was a vastly different experience from reading it. One woman in the audience exclaimed: “I read this book. Every word. But somehow hearing it was like hearing a whole additional story!”

There is something fascinating about listening to the author herself telling the story as she hears it in her mind’s ear — the characters with their particular speech, the rattle of the traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike, the breathless approach of a plot building.

Today and next week, we will bring you the first two chapters of this book, as read by Susan Dworkin. To listen to Susan Dworkin reading reading Chapter 1, click on link below: