TREACHEROUS WATERS

What to say about a book set just after WWI that refers to James Bond, not once, but twice? Editors, get out those red pencils! Joanna David, however, expertly creates a nervous mother and her gloriously spoilt 10-year-old son. This implausible plot involving fathers who aren't fathers, the terror of traveling by boat, and a man too good to be true is made credible by David's sensitive reading. Truly, this is not a book with a happy ending, but an unsettling tale of a woman who chooses a life that benefits only her son. There's no smooth sailing, but Joanna David allows the listener to think about romance and its pitfalls without being put off by excessive dramatics. B.H.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]