Marrying Stone

When Harvard-educated J. Monroe ``Roe'' Farley ventures into the darkest depths of the Ozark Mountains with his ediphone (a 1902 voice recording machine) to search for long-forgotten folk songs, he inadvertently finds himself becoming part of the Best household. They're an odd bunch; Jesse Best is a simpleminded, amiable giant who rescues Roe when he becomes lost and wants to know, ``Can we keep him?'' Jesse's sister Meggie immediately throws herself into Roe's arms, claiming he's her long-awaited prince, and their lame father Ornery puts more value in Roe's strong back then in his wallet. After nearly dying from Meggie's disastrous cooking, Roe settles into the slow-paced Ozark life with its patchwork quilt of lovable characters. His plans to leave the town of Marrying Stone Mountain at the end of summer are altered drastically when he accidentally ends up wedded to Meggie. But Meggie refuses to settle for anything less than true love from her dream prince. The Garrison Keillor of romance, Morsi's ( Runabout ) stories are always filled with lively narration and generous doses of humor. This latest offering is no disappointment; it's as rich and heady as a jug of mountain ``donk''--and just as hard to put down. (Aug.)