HOW TO BE ALONE

There is nothing like a book that makes the reader think, and Jonathan Franzen's latest puts the mind on overtime. But this collection of essays performs an interesting balancing act: It is insightful without preaching, provocative without ranting, and realistic without raving. Brian D'Arcy James reads with appropriate inflection and just the right amount of involvement, but for the most part he allows the commentary to shine through on its own. The essays range from a melancholy recollection of the author's father's battle with Alzheimer's to more biting reflections on modern life and how we Americans live it. This audiobook is far from "light listening," but you don't have to be an intellectual to enjoy it. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]