Big Sur

This autobiographical novel continues the adventures of the (older but certainly not mellower) wandering beatnik from ON THE ROAD. For a narrator it contains extraordinary difficulties, for the writing flies off into inebriated, overly long sentences that reflect, describe or just babble forward in a kind of free association. To keep such passages flowing while making sense out of them is no mean feat. Tom Parker pulls it off, erring only infrequently in his interpretation. He even manages to sound as if he were enjoying himself. The production is clean but tinny, possibly dampening the pleasure of home listeners, but hardly bothering drivers listening over traffic noise. Y.R. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine