The Center of Everything [Hardcover]

Laura Moriarty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2003

n Laura Moriarty's extraordinary first novel, a young girl tries to make sense of an unruly world spinning around her. Growing up with a single mother who is chronically out of work and dating a married man, 10-year old Evelyn Bucknow learns early how to fend for herself. Offering an affecting portrayal of a troubled mother/daughter relationship, one in which the daughter is very often expected to play the role of the adult, the novel also gives readers a searing rendering of the claustrophobia of small town midwestern life, as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl. Evelyn must come to terms with the heartbreaking lesson of first love-that not all loves are meant to be-and determine who she is and who she wants to be. Stuck in the middle of Kansas, between best friends, and in the midst of her mother's love, Evelyn finds herself...in The Center of Everything.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Laura Moriarty's debut novel is a simple story, but effectively told. Ten-year-old Evelyn Bucknow lives with her not very responsible young mother, Tina, on the outskirts of a small Kansas town. The Center of Everything follows a clean arc: How Evelyn, a gifted but poor student, negotiates the pitfalls of her background to become a college student. The book shows the scary tenuousness of poverty. When Tina's car breaks down, their life falls apart like a flimsy cardboard edifice. Evelyn can't get to school, Tina can't get to work, and unseemly relationships with men who own cars develop. The novel's other theme is the importance of teaching; when one of her teachers tells her she's gifted, Evelyn's life is changed. "She takes off her glasses, still looking at me. I take off my glasses too, because for a moment I think she is going to place them on my eyes, the way you place a crown on someone's head when they become queen. Welcome to being smart." As she heads into adolescence, Evelyn sees her best friend fall in love and become pregnant, just as Tina did when she was a teenager. Evelyn resists these traps, not without some lovelorn, lonely moments. The Center of Everything careens dangerously near fingerwagging at times, but the book's salvation comes from unexpected quarters: Evelyn's mom Tina. At the outset, she seems beleaguered and lost, but as the book progresses she develops a wry resiliency. We get to watch Evelyn and Tina grow up together, and it's a rare sight. --Claire Dederer

From Publishers Weekly

For 10-year-old Evelyn Bucknow, there really is no place like home. On all the world maps she's ever seen, the United States has been smack dab in the middle, with Kansas in the middle of that. "I feel so lucky to live here, right in the center," she proclaims, in Moriarty's wonderfully down-to-earth debut. Dazzled by visions of Ronald Reagan on the television, the twinkle in his eye and his contention that "God put America between two oceans on purpose," Evelyn's youthful optimism is shaken by her young single mother Tina's inability to take control of her life. As Tina falls for her married boss, who gives her a car (his contribution to the trickle-down theory) but leaves her pregnant and shattered, Evelyn grows closer to her neighbor, a curly-haired scamp named Travis (who has eyes only for Evelyn's stunning friend, Deena) and her Bible-thumping grandmother, a regular listener to Jerry Falwell's radio show. As a teenager, she is influenced by a couple of liberal-minded teachers, one an emigre from New York and the other an introverted biology instructor intent on teaching evolution, but she never cuts her family ties. With renewed faith in her scatterbrained but endearing mother and with college on the horizon, she begins to find her place in the social and political spectrum and to appreciate the vastness of a world that just might extend beyond the Sunflower State. Moriarty deftly treads the line between adolescence and adulthood, and insecurity and self-assurance, offering a moving portrait of life in blue-collar middle America.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (July 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401300316
• ISBN-13: 978-1401300319
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Moriarty received her master's degree from the University of Kansas and was awarded the George Bennett Fellowship for Creative Writing at Phillips Exeter Academy. The author of The Center of Everything, The Rest of Her Life, and While I'm Falling, she lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh voice. Outstanding., September 19, 2003

By 

Michele Cozzens "www.michelecozzens.com" (Cloud 8) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Center of Everything (Hardcover)

The writing is excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Through the fresh voice of a wise young girl, Evelyn Bucknow, her life in the state of Kansas and all the supporting characters surrounding her come alive. She is indeed the center of everything and we immediately respect her--especially her ability to rise above very unfortunate circumstances. No matter how eccentric, bizarre or pathetic the people in her life are, we see them through her loving eyes. Even characters that might be considered villains, her proud and bitter mother, the snobby classmate and her equally snobby sidekick for example, are all presented with redeeming qualities.

With several historical references, even if they're only as far back as the 1980s, the story is believable and well told. We've all shared many of Evelyn's thoughts while coming of age. A quick read with exceptional attention to detail, I think it's well worth your time.

Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my new favorites...Highly recommended!, July 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Center of Everything (Hardcover)

I was quite surprised to read that the previous reviewer found this book "depressing", I found it completely inspiring...my daughter saw this book in SEVENTEEN Magazine and HAD to have it...she loved it so much that I read it as well....my husband is reading it now, too...I wish this book had been around when I was growing up....the main character, Evelyn, does face many hardships, and Moriarty completely nails what it feels like to live on the outskirts of nowhereville, but she learns through trial and error that your choices define you more than your circumstances....the voice of Evelyn rings so true, and I love that the mother, Tina, is neither a saint nor a sinner...details about the 1980's, from a child's perspective, bring the story to life...I am going to recommend this book to everyone...anyone who feels that life isn't always fair will find this book inspiring....very well written, apparently this is her first novel, and I would love to read more of her work.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just off the mark, July 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Center of Everything (Hardcover)

A quick read, this book takes us into the lives of essentially good people who struggle to become more than their circumstances and histroy might dictate. Each, in their own way, achieves a measure of success, although it is likely that Evelyn will be the only one who is ultimately able to recognize and nurture a personal center that will allow her to fully blossom. I would have liked to have seen greater development of at least some of the many significant events and difficulties that beset this Kansas community. Possibly this was intentional, allowing the reader to enter into the resolution in a less directive manner. Laura Moriarity is a promising writer with a knack for protraying the human condition in a positive and hopeful light, emphasizing again the importance of relationship and compassion for each person.