MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

This two-hankie love story features a rugged but sensitive seafaring fellow; his wise, aged father; and a single, sensitive mother who writes a column for a Boston newspaper. The author introduces them, sets up an impossible dilemma, and then weasles out by introducing tragedy. The two readers are highly regarded actors; Boxleitner does the better job, being both gruff and introspective at the same time. Quinlan reads more slowly and with less expression. The transitions between scenes are well handled, with one reader fading out as the other comes in. D.R.W. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 99]