Dovey Coe [Paperback]

Frances O'Roark Dowell (Author)

Book Description

My name is Dovey Coe and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not. I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I aim to prove it, too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him.

Dovey Coe says what's on her mind, so it's no secret that she can't stand Parnell Caraway. Parnell may be the son of the richest man in town, but he's mean and snobby, and Dovey can't stand the fact that he's courting her sister, Caroline, or the way he treats her brother, Amos, as if he were stupid just because he can't hear.

So when Parnell turns up dead, and Dovey's in the room where his body is discovered, she soon finds herself on trial for murder. Can the outspoken Dovey sit still and trust a city slicker lawyer who's still wet behind the ears to get her out of the biggest mess of her life?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"My name is Dovey Coe, and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not. I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars.... I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him."

Twelve-year-old Dovey has never had the slightest problem speaking her mind. But now, faced with a murder trial, she may just have to keep her mouth shut while the slick city lawyer takes care of things. It all started when the wealthy, vain, greedy Parnell takes a notion to win Dovey's older sister, trying to convince her she's too pretty to go off to college. But behind her back, he treats Dovey and her deaf brother Amos like dirt all summer long. Dovey gets in her jabs whenever she can--until the day she finds herself trapped in a back room with an irate, vengeful Parnell. Things don't look too good for Dovey when she comes to and finds her enemy dead on the floor next to her.

Southern courtroom drama, a sassy female protagonist, a misunderstood yet gentle neighborhood character, vicious and narrow-minded villains--sound familiar? Yes, there's a lot of Harper Lee's Scout in Dovey, and Boo Radley in Amos (To Kill a Mockingbird). But Frances O'Roark Dowell's absorbing, readable story of families, prejudice, love, and hate has a life all its own. Dovey is an impeccably drawn heroine, complete with Southern dialect, sturdy self-esteem, and down-home wisdom. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The 12-year-old title character narrates this first novel, in which she attempts to set the record straight about the death of her sister's suitor. PW called Dowell "an author well worth watching." Ages 9-12. (Nov.) n

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689846673
• ISBN-13: 978-0689846670
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frances O'Roark Dowell is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Dovey Coe, which won the Edgar Award, Where I'd Like to Be, the bestselling The Secret Language of Girls, and its sequel The Kind of Friends We Used to Be, Chicken Boy, Shooting the Moon, which was awarded the Christopher Medal, and most recently Falling In. She lives with her husband and two sons in Durham, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic!, May 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dovey Coe (Paperback)

I love Dovey! She's an amazing smart-mouthed country girl who gets caught up in a bad situation and learns about the workings of morality, ethics, and the human heart. Dovey is like Laura Ingalls but with more grit. She's the type of girl I wanted to read about when I was a girl and she's exactly the type of girl that I want my girls to read about. Remember when books were good and you wanted to be the characters in the story and felt like you were living in their world? Dovey Coe makes you feel just that way.

Hooray and huzzah! Finally, a good book for girls!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Love Dovey!, December 21, 2001

By 

Lisa Johannes (Carrollton, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dovey Coe (Paperback)

I'm completely impressed with Frances O'Roark Dowell's ability to create such a lovable and inspiratonal character! The main character, Dovey, is accused of the murder of her sister's evil suitor, Parnell. Her honesty--the open admission that she cared nothing for Parnell--adds to her culpability. You'll come to love the spirit of small-town, USA as you get to know Dovey, her brother Amos, and the rest of the characters. By the time you put down this book, Dovey will have inspired to you to be true to your real self and to stand up for what you know is right. Dovey is able to inspire growth in other characters as well, including her oh-so-pretty big sister and her well-educated court-appointed attorney. What I appreciate most about this novel is that Dovey is able to be tough-minded and strong-willed without going "over the top" in the unrealistic way the many novel and movie charactres do. I recommended Dovey Coe not only to young adolescent girls but also to boys who will enjoy the mysterious elements and surprise ending.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A North Carolina mountain girl is accused of murder., August 1, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dovey Coe (Paperback)

The fictional heroine of this novel, twelve-year-old Dovey Coe, narrates this story in a distinctly southern voice. Dovey never even tried to disguise her hatred of her vain older sister Caroline's wealthy suitor Parnell Carraway. Seventeen-year-old Parnell was mean-spirited and sadistic, tormenting Dovey and her deaf older brother, Amos, and trying to persuade Caroline to give up her dreams of going to college. But in spite of hating Parnell so very much, Dovey would never kill Parnell. But when she is found in the same room with Parnell's dead body, that's just what Dovey is accused of doing. Now, if she's going to win her trial, outspoken Dovey has to keep quiet and let her inexperianced lawyer from the city take care of things. I highly reccomend this novel. Fans of historical fiction could definitley enjoy it. I would probably reccomend it to readers ages ten and up, but I'm fifteen and I thought it was a wonderful story.