I'll Never be Young Again.

Daphne du Maurier. 1932/2003. Read by Jonathan Firth. 10 tapes. 11.5 hrs. BBC Audiobooks America. 0-7540-8379-9. $84.95. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. SA

In a British-accented voice strikingly attuned to introspection and intimacy, Firth narrates this powerful novel of a young man's personal growth. Twenty-one-year-old Dick struggles to come to terms with his father, a poet publicly celebrated for his insights, who has destroyed his sensitive son with his withering contempt for him. Dick is about to end his own life when he is rescued by a convicted murderer, just released from prison. They wander about the back country of Sweden, engage in a fight, and become shipwrecked when a storm capsizes the boat on which they seek safety. Dick, the only survivor, goes to Paris, where he develops a passionate relationship with a girl named Hester. He writes the book he hopes will finally please his father.

The author's insight into the thought processes and psychology of her main character will amaze readers who like the stream-of-consciousness style and who are attracted to stories of what becomes of the children of celebrities. Intriguing account of sexual attraction but no explicit sex. Vividly drawn secondary characters. Edna Boardman, Bismarck, ND