SEA GLASS

SEA GLASS establishes a strong metaphor and keeps it going, with varying degrees of success. Newlywed Honora develops an interest in the colorful glass bits she finds on the beach, attracted by the color, depth and texture of what her husband Sexton calls "trash." But these thrown-away fragments have been made beautiful by the beatings they have taken and are too strong to break. Judith Ann Gantly gives a near perfect reading of a novel that is strongest when moving confidently forward as a piece of historical fiction and not languishing in the longings of romance. The tension of labor issues and the desperation brought about by the Depression make the story riveting, with the only flaws the lapses into melodrama as Sexton transforms into a neglectful husband and the upstart McDermott moves onto the scene. L.B.F. 2003 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]