THE SMOKE JUMPER

When Ed Tully meets the woman of his dreams and they begin their life together, it seems natural that she take a summer job working with troubled kids in the area where he works as a smoke jumper. Ed's best friend, Connor, is also a jumper, and that summer begins the intertwining of their three lives. As with Evans's other books, the focus is on the emotional lives of the characters, and Luke Perry brings full measure to the joy and pathos of the story. He reads in a gentle voice, especially to convey the emotionally difficult passages. Although this is not a flashy performance, he subtly captures the sorrows--and finally the joys--of the characters. While the abridgment seems a little awkward, Evans and Perry follow the three lives to an emotionally satisfying conclusion. M.A.M. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]