ABOUT THIS LIFE

Not a memoir, but rather a collection of essays that represent the span of Lopez's career and observations--from his fascination with a black widow spider at the age of 7, his speculations on the impact of tourism on the rare animals of the Galapagos, to a memorable sojourn on Hokkaido Island in Japan. As read by the author, every spoken word is as elegantly prepared as a Japanese meal. Lopez has a low, mesmerizing voice and a reverent, occasionally rapturous style of delivery. The elaborate word painting in his essays is inherently dramatic. Unfortunately, musical interludes should fade much sooner; music obscures the opening lines of the essays, interfering with the author's voice and the poetry of his language, which needs no further ornamentation. D.M.L. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 99]