THE LAST GIRLS

Devotees of the Southern novel will enjoy this book; after a few minutes of Smith's artful prose, read in her addictive, musical drawl, listeners will be hooked. The premise of the novel's present-day plot is a bit thin: Four college friends meet up after many years apart to spread the ashes of a wild-child former classmate on the Mississippi River, a locale they know intimately from an unlikely college-era "Twain-esque" raft trip. The novel sparkles, however, through its flashbacks and engrossing accounts of the histories of these characters and the people they encounter. Smith evokes a sense of place best when she travels back in time, and listeners will enjoy making that trip. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]