Customer Reviews

Babyface

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At 14, Toni Chessmore considers herself pretty lucky. Dubbing it "Toni Luck," she's always had a great life: two parents that dote upon her, best friend Julie living right next door. Her days are even filled with tiny bits of luck, such as finding money on the ground and being coincidentally at the right place to land a good summer job.

Although she tries not to, Toni can't help but feel a bit superior to others. Julie, for example, has always had such a miserable family life. Even Toni's much-older sister Martine seems so unhappy. Is it Toni's fault that she can't really relate?

Then Toni's father suffers a heart attack, and everything changes. While her parents attend a healthy-living workshop in another state, Toni goes to stay with Martine, the sister who left home when she was just a baby. It's then that Toni begins to learn the reasons for Martine's coldness, reasons she herself could never have begun to suspect.

When the truth comes out, is Toni really any better off than Julie? Is it better to know or not to know?

Fifteen year old Toni Chessmore has it all, a family that loves her, a best friend who lives right next door, but nothing in life is perfect right? Her best friend has to go to California for summer due to some sad circumstances, Toni falls for the boy that her best friend was crushing on, and finds out a family secret that has been buried for years.

This book was very short, in fact it's under 200 pages. I feel like maybe if I read this book when I was younger like 12-13 I probably would have enjoyed it more, but because of the fact that i've read so many more complex novels before this one, it feel short for me. Norma Fox Mazer was a favorite author of mine growing up and After The Rain, is one of those books that stick out in my mind that made me fall in love with reading from the beginning, and It won a number of awards to boot.

I think the younger audience would really enjoy this book, it's a light-hearted, summer read, that deals with issues that probably anyone could be able to relate too or have been through similar situations when they were younger. Norma Fox Mazer will continue to be an author I check out but this book was a little too basic and lacked complexity that i'm used too.

Fourteen-year-old Toni Chessmore thinks her life is just about perfect. Her parents dote on her, and she has a fantastic relationship with her best friend, Julie. In fact, Toni's house is Julie's refuge when her parents' arguing gets out of control. When Julie's mother takes her away for the summer, Toni can't imagine things getting any worse. Then her father has a heart attack, and while her mother helps him through a recovery program, Toni goes to stay with her much older sister Martine, a near-stranger with a brusque manner. One night, Martine tells Toni a secret about their oh-so-happy family . . . and Toni knows right away that nothing will ever be the same again.

This is a wise, nuanced little novel, full of richly drawn characters and deeply revealing subplots. Mazer handles Toni's transition from sheltered little girl to sensitive and aware young woman with grace and skill. Toni is a thoroughly likable and believable character, and her turmoil is genuine and poignant.

I will admit I didn't entirely understand why the secret Toni learned was such a big deal, but then again, she's more the protected innocent at the age of fourteen than I was at four. It's not the secret itself that makes such a difference in Toni's life as the understanding that some aspects of her "perfect" life are not what she thought they were. More problematic for me was the ending, which is hopeful, but rather too pat: all of a sudden in the last chapter everything works out all at once. Had the same resolution been brought about more gradually, it would have been much more believable and satisfying. That said, however, this is an enjoyable and mature novel that should have great appeal to young readers.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to anyone who's going through a rough time with her parents being divorced or anyone who is interested in friendships. Julie, Toni's best friend, has a rough life with her parents being divorced; they argue all the time and Julie gets sick of it. For example, Julie went to Toni's house one night because her parents got into a huge argument. " They're at it again, Toni, I can't take it anymore!" Says Julie. Toni was very understanding. This book is very enjoying and I loved reading it. I honestly do not like to read, but this book caught my attention right away. As soon as I read the first two chapters I was already enjoying the book. So if you enjoy reading about friendships and your parents are divorced and you are having a rough time with them I encourage you to read this book!

I read this book for the first time when I was in sixth grade and to this day I have been a huge fan of Mazer. She knows how to get inside your head and make your heart ache with the character's. She is one of the greats like Judy Blume! Babyface is just a great and realistic story of how life has a way of getting turned upside down, and positive ways to cope.

This book is about a girl named Toni Chessmore. She thought that she always had a perfect life. She had a best friend, who she loved and cared for dearly. Her parents had always gotten along very well or so she thought. Until one day, her dad had a heartattack. He had to go see a specialist. Toni had to go stay with her sister, Martine,in New York for a while. One day Martine told Toni a secret about their parents. She told Toni that her parents had not always been perfect...You will have to read the rest of the book to find out what happens. It is a very interesting book, so go read it today.

Another masterpiece from Mrs. Mazer! This one is about a young girl named Toni whose best friend Julie moved away because her parents divorced. Toni was grateful for her loving, stable home. Her parents would never divorce like Julie's. But was her family really what it appeared to be? A visit with her emotionally distant older sister Martine provided surprising answers. Toni struggled to get along with her parents when she went back home. Later in the story, Julie returned to a changed friend. Will Toni's family and friendship ever be the same? I reccomend you read the book and find out how Toni survived.

The book that I read was a wounderful one. The book was about a girl named Toni and a girl named Julie. These girls have been friends for a long time and then Julie's parents get divorced and they move away, so the girls are separated. When Julie leaves Toni's dad has a heart attack and Toni has to go to her sisters house. Which they don't get along very well. Anyway Toni finally got to go home and then a couple of days later her parents came home. Then Julie came in and they didn't feel the same around each other because they had been away from eachother for so long.

Wow, I've just finnished the book and I personily think its great! I couldnt put this book down, I loved it so much. Norma Fox Mazier makes the book so hard to put down. I am going to try to read another one of her books. I really enjoyed this book and I think its a great book to read! Enjoy!