CALIFORNIA FEVER

Author John Jacobson examines the Southern California surfing culture of the 1960s in this story of Dolphin Smoote, the leader of a surf troupe known as the Surf Dawgs, whose highest aim in life is to avoid being employed. When Dolphin’s rich aunt goes away for the summer, Dolphin seizes the opportunity to rent out her beach-front home. Narrator Grover Gardner seems too disconnected from the story. He simply doesn't become involved enough to fully realize the quirky characters who spring up or to depict the agony of Dolphin’s desperate romance. Most importantly, Gardner fails to capture the surfer dude tone—instead he sticks with a grating voice that distracts the listener from start to finish. L.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 08]