THE BEACH HOUSE

The life changes of four couples could make for a fractured listening experience, but Cassandra Campbell's narration seamlessly unites all the characters. Her even delivery sweeps listeners into the story of strangers who, while sorting themselves out at Windermere, a Nantucket beach house, become family. Sixty-five-year-old Nan, facing financial ruin, revives when she takes in roomers who have surprising connections--to each other and to her past. Campbell's reading, though smooth, doesn't lack for full emotional explorations of characters, whether they're divorcing, coming out, or falling in love. With equal aplomb she dramatizes the rages of a 13-year-old with newly divorced parents. Listeners will have a hard time turning off this guilty pleasure. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2008]