THE LOVE SONG OF ROMEO PAQUETTE Cecelia Frey Saskatoon (Sask.), Thistledown Press, 1990. 159pp, paper, $14.95 ISBN 0-920633-76-5. CIP Adult Reviewed by Esther Hutchinson. Volume 19 Number 1 1991 January Romeo Paquette is the aging care­taker of an apartment building. His worries about his granddaughter and small adventures with his friends form the framework for this collection of linked short stories. Interwoven are larger themes of aging, friendship, memory, family, and the hurt and misunderstandings that are inevitable in relationships. Romeo is baffled by technology and the pace of life, and his innocent philosophic interpretations allow us fresh insights into modern situations. The treatment moves from poetic to gently humorous. We see people and events from more than one point of view as portraits are built up in subtle layers. Characters, both male and female, are well devel­oped and unique. Although the Edmonton setting typifies elements of the universal western city, there is also a definite sense of place. Cecelia Frey is a poet as well as author of the award-winning collection, The Nefertiti Look. Her poetic sensibility is evident in her use of language and imagery. Recommended. Esther Hutchinson, Spruce Grove Public Library, Spruce Grove, Alta.