OUTERBRIDGE REACH

Stone's novel of heroic aspirations and lost dreams deserves attention for its language and story. The classic metaphor of man and the sea and the triangle of main characters are a great prospect for audio; unfortunately, Tom Skerrit only partly delivers. He sensitively conveys subtle inflections of emotion in some passages. However, his vocal characterization is uneven, and he makes odd choices for accents, such as those of the boatyard workers, and gives little differentiation to female characters. While the underscore of ocean sounds is effective, annoying mouth noises in Skerrit's speech, extended pauses and intakes of breath go unedited on parts of the tape. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 92]