Picture Perfect

February 27, 1995
This politically correct Hollywood romance leaves no plotting stone unturned. For her discovery of an ancient human relic, glamorous UCLA anthropologist Cassie Barrett is rocketed to the prominence of a '90s-style Margaret Mead. As if that's not enough, she goes to Kenya as technical consultant on a movie starring hunk-of-the-month Alex Rivers. After a whirlwind romance, Cassie becomes the new Mrs. Rivers, toast of filmdom's beautiful people. But all is not bliss for the newlyweds: Alex's tortured past just won't let go, and Cassie must bear the brunt of his emotional scars. Perhaps attempting to salvage the predictable plot, Picoult administers to Cassie's bland character a dose of adrenalin-pumping amnesia. She also throws in a dollop of Native American culture and a noble savage who skirts the periphery of Cassie's tumultuous existence, always ready with sage advice, spiritual healing techniques and warm embraces. Some rather prettily told Indian legends are added to the mix, but the total effect is wide of the mark. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selection; film rights to Dove Audio; audio rights to Brilliance.

Movie stars have an allure for most people, and Cassie finds herself enthralled with Alex Rivers when she's offered the job of technical advisor for his new film. Threads from different stages of her life are woven throughout the story, and Native American legends add meaning to the interaction among the characters. As the circumstances of Cassie's life change, the two readers are interchanged. Bruce Reizen reads while Cassie interacts with Alex, and Sandra Burr takes over when Cassie slips out from under a veil of amnesia and relates the danger that Alex poses to her. Both readers do an excellent job portraying the characters during both mundane conversations and emotional outbursts. C.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine