True Love

TRUE LOVE, by prolific author and Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh, feels somewhat like a Buddhist primer on how to love well. During the course of the two-hour reading by Buddhist practitioner James Gimian, the book covers the basics of mindfulness and how, with practice, it can help people develop greater compassion. Gimian's voice is slow and steady, a style that sometimes suits the spiritual attitudes that Hanh extols. But his presentation is often so flat it undermines the ideas with which Hanh wants to inspire his readers. Yet while Gimian starts his narration stiffly, he does warm up as he describes his beloved Buddhist tenets. His voice conveys the most varied tone as he relates Hanh's allegorical anecdotes of people who struggle to love. R.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine