TALK BEFORE SLEEP

Ann's portrayal of Ruth in the final weeks of her friend's struggle with terminal breast cancer is so realistic it reads like nonfiction. Artist and iconoclast Ruth challenges the more conventional Ann to recognize the healing power of friendship. Along with a number of peripheral male characters, Blythe Danner must differentiate five women who are often together in the same scene. Her husky, down-to-earth voice best matches Ruth's, but at times it's hard to figure out just who's talking. Can the abridgment be blamed for the puzzling non-presence of Ruth's 15-year-old son in the novel's denouement? J.H.L. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 95]