GUERNICA

The calm with which Lloyd James narrates this novel underscores the difficult subject matter and gives it a weight that a more dramatic interpretation would have lessened. Set during WWII, this mix of fiction and nonfiction is centered around the bombing of the small town of Guernica, Spain—chosen randomly as the place to practice for future bombings—by German planes. Boling mines historical information and combines it with a touching love story between a British pilot and a relief worker. James handles the material with aplomb, given the atrocities rendered. The account of the bombing itself, halfway through the story, is stunning. Fans of THE ENGLISH PATIENT will definitely want to give this a listen. M.T. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2009]