LOUD AND CLEAR

You'll want to send copies of this audiobook to all the important people in your life, young, old, and in-between. Quindlen's firm, understated voice reads from her NEW YORK TIMES and NEWSWEEK columns on topics as diverse as celebrity ("hell hath no fury like an idealist disenchanted"), alcohol ("the drug that protests it isn't"), mothers and children, 9/11, 2001's crushing blows, and the abuse scandals of the Catholic Church. We are brilliantly reminded once again that nothing human is foreign to us. Characters in GONE WITH THE WIND are described as "so vivid as if they were grasshoppers jumping from the pages of the book." Discussing the Catholic Church's tentatively broached idea of women priests, Quindlen wryly observes, "Isn't that the way it is--as soon as a job is devalued enough, they offer it to us!" Regrettably, the packaging of this audiobook lacks the titles of the individual columns and their disc locations. This should be listed on the cover and/or inside liner sheet. L.C. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]