FOOLS OF FORTUNE

Crowley does a skillful job navigating the variety of English and Irish accents of different classes in this tragedy. Furthermore, the wistfulness that infuses Crowley's reading is so in keeping with Trevor's work. There are elements of comedy and whimsy here, but this novel is mostly about how hatred and revenge during the "Irish troubles" consume possibilities for happiness and familial satisfaction. The imperatives of that conflict all but appropriate the novel's gentle, young hero, Willy Quinton, giving him only a glimpse of the contentment that should have been his. It's an understated novel and reading, which is indelible, as well. M.O. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR/APR 98]