How It's Done [Hardcover]

Christine Kole MacLean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2006

Brought up in a God-fearing home, eighteen-year-old Grace feels trapped in a "suburban Alcatraz" by her hypocritical holy roller father and timid mother. And then he walks into her life...Michael Irving is a college professor, a man of the world, more likely to quote Shelley than scripture, and he's gorgeous. He is everything Grace has ever dreamed of - and he loves her. Freedom brings with it unanticipated complications, though, and Grace emerges from a cage only to find herself in a maze. She quickly discovers that being the lover - and then the fiancee - of an older man is not all poetry and chardonnay. Told from Grace's perspective, "How It's Done" is an unflinching and insightful story of a young woman discovering who she wants to be.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Grace Passedge, 18, was raised in a strict fundamentalist Christian family, with a righteous father and a mother hesitant to make waves. When he refuses to let her attend the senior party, bans her from reading romance novels, and makes her promise to remain a virgin until marriage, the teen rebels. While accompanying her friend Liv to a lecture at a local college, Grace meets a dashing, worldly professor who sweeps her off her feet and leads her into breaking her father's rules. She soon finds herself engaged to Michael, suspecting she might be pregnant as she plans her wedding, and wondering if she is doing the right thing by marrying someone with whom she has so little in common except good sex. When Liv betrays their friendship, and a new boy catches her eye, Grace is forced to make some important decisions about friends, family, and romantic relationships. Although it is difficult to envision the age difference between Grace and Michael, the characters are basically well drawn and believable. Readers will see early on that Grace is bound on a collision course, not because her father says her choices are wrong but because they go against her personal convictions. Unlike Jody in Valerie Hobbs's Letting Go of Bobby James, or How I Found My Self of Steam (Farrar, 2004), Grace acknowledges the truth in the nick of time. She grows through her experiences, leaving the impression that she will be a stronger and better person.—Diane P. Tuccillo, City of Mesa Library, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"MacLean's writing moves the action swiftly enough for reluctant readers, and girls, who like Grace, relish romantic reads, will keep this book circulating."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Flux (September 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738710296
• ISBN-13: 978-0738710297
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,322,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a kid growing up on a farm in West Michigan in the 1960s, I was often dirty, sometimes restless, and mostly happy. My five older siblings and I worked hard, but, as any of them will gladly tell you, they worked harder than I did.

That's because I was a gifted child--gifted at getting out of chores. When I was supposed to be weeding the garden or picking up rocks from the fields (yes, that was actually one of our chores), I'd be riding my horse or reading a book instead. Those were my two favorite ways of escaping my ordinary life.

I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was about nine, and I've never looked back.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME BOOK!!, October 6, 2006

By 

David L. Brilliant Jr. (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How It's Done (Hardcover)

This book was an amazing read that really got me thinking. The characters seemed to come alive to the point where I was living in their shoes. I would definetly reccommend this book to anyone who is looking or a book that will make you laugh, cry, think, and most importantly, learn what it was like for one very mixed up high school senior.

P.S. Mr. Mandabach, this is Amianne i'm just using my dad's account.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How It's Done, August 29, 2006

By 

Mary (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How It's Done (Hardcover)

In her new release, How It's Done, Christine Kole MacLean shows us exactly how it's done-- with great characterization! In fact, the characters are so real and developed that I'm wondering what Grace, Michael, Grace's parents, Tori are doing today. I can only hope there will be a sequel.

I felt as though I lived with Grace this encounter and relationship she has with an older man. Grace thinks she finds the man she is going to marry, but mostly the person she finds is herself.

Grace is endearing as she often stumbles through "doing" this relationship well. This includes her first experience with sex. Yes, mothers, that's in there too -- in a very honest and real portrayal. Good discussion material for you and your daughters!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest and original read, January 4, 2007

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How It's Done (Hardcover)

Eighteen-year-old Grace Passedge has spent her life under the thumb of her controlling father. Her timid mother can't even stand up for herself, so she isn't much help to Grace. Raised in a God-fearing home, Grace has always assumed her parents' beliefs and followed their rules. She longs to break free of them but doesn't know how.

Her chance finally arrives when she meets Michael Irving, an attractive college professor. He is nearly 10 years older than Grace but is instantly attracted to her. Their relationship must be kept secret since they live in a small town, and Grace does not want her father to find out. When he finally does hear about her relationship with Michael, the fireworks fly and Grace has to decide where her loyalties lie.

During her relationship with Michael, Grace receives a lot of unsolicited advice from well-meaning friends and acquaintances. Among them is Michael's housekeeper, a nerdy boy she meets on a field trip, and her best friend, Liv.

Woven into the main plot is a nice subplot about the family dynamics between Grace's mother and father. The book's ending made me stand up and cheer.

Christine Kole MacLean, best known for her picture books and middle grade novels, writes with honesty and empathy in her first young adult novel. Readers will feel Grace's pain as she struggles to make her own decisions.

HOW IT'S DONE is completely original, and the characters are fresh and well-developed. Though not recommended for younger teens (due to the subject matter), this is a great book for opening up meaningful discussions between mothers and their teenage daughters.

--- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner ([e-mail])