The Forest Lover.

THE FOREST LOVER. Susan Vreeland. 2004. Read by Karen White. 12 cds. 9.5 hrs. Highbridge Audio. 0-14-280045-7 $37.95. Cardboard; plot, author, reader notes. SA

Set in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the turn of the 20th century, The Forest Lover recreates a world at the brink of change that Emily Carr, a young artist, wants to record. This desire leads her to develop her art in a direction consistent with the newest trends of the art world, which are unappreciated in the cultural backwaters of Canada. It also leads her to a mission of recording the totem poles and the culture of the native tribes and to the most meaningful friendship of her life, with Sophie Frank, an Indian woman. Emily is a free and rebellious spirit, more at home in Paris art studios, native villages, or her studio than the world of her more traditional sisters. The novel tells Emily's life story, but it also reveals much about the culture she is born to and the culture she grows to love; White's voice echoes Emily's determination and grit. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL