CHARLIE ST. CLOUD

“What have you done with your precious life?” That’s the question the ghost of a firefighter asks Charlie St. Cloud, a young man whose life he saved years ago. As often happens in stories about the afterlife, Charlie’s power to see and speak with the dead gets in the way of his attempts to make something out of his life, and there are some minor surprises on Charlie’s route to setting himself free. Though Sherwood’s tale has most of the weaknesses of pop novels, it also has an emotional appeal that may overcome the book’s limitations. Narrator Richard Poe is a smart choice to deliver this supernatural love story; he carries the narrative without grandstanding, using his seasoned voice, rhythm, and intonation to press all the right emotional buttons. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2011]