Looking After Lily [Hardcover]

Cindy Bonner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1994

Looking after Lily is a burden Haywood Beatty didn't bargain for. Only twenty years old himself, he's been charged with the welfare of Lily, a sixteen-year-old mother-to-be and wife of his outlaw brother. But Lily keeps coming up with what Haywood needs. A horse. A gun. Money. Common sense. And before long Haywood recognizes that he has fallen in love with his brother's wife. "Good stuff . . . an intelligent, humane story about a guy with too much energy and too little sense. It rates an A."--Entertainment Weekly.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After a succinct and colorful recap of events in the well-received Lily , this sequel set in 1880s Texas plunges into its own series of rousing adventures. Twenty-year-old Haywood Beatty knows he's been called a murderer, coward and thief; at the very least, he admits that "nobody had ever said I was a good man." Still, Woody succumbs to his jailed brother Marion's pleas to look after his pregnant, 16-year-old wife Lily until he has served his two-year sentence. But who is looking after whom? Lily is feisty, independent and fearless, and as the two start a 400-mile journey in a rickety wagon to a north Texas farm, an uneasy alliance develops in the face of challenges that might have undone a lesser couple. As the harsh countryside drifts by, Lily barely escapes a rape attempt, Woody slits a man's throat and an impoverished but generous Mexican family helps deliver Lily's baby girl. A finely evoked Texas landscape, a wide variety of mesmerizing and frightful villains, an absorbing story tempered with sweetness and good humor all triumph over the inherent predictability of this romantic western. Lily's fans will be glad to know that another sequel is in the works. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-Bonner, a gifted storyteller, doesn't let this sequel to Lily (Algonquin, 1992) serve merely as a bridge to the final installment in the proposed trilogy. Instead, she has produced a "standing tall" book. Haywood "Woody" Beatty is acquitted of murder charges stemming from the gunfight in which his two older brothers were killed. He agrees to "look after Lily" for her husband, his remaining brother Marion, who is serving a two-year jail term for his involvement in the fight. Footloose since his mother's death when he was five, Haywood doesn't know what to make of this pregnant young woman who doesn't shy away from hard work, but who is quick to scold when he cusses. Changing the viewpoint of this book from Lily to Haywood ensures a strong independent narrative rather than a mere continuation of the first book. Seeing Lily through another's eyes reveals her gutsy determination offset by normal fears of pregnancy without her husband nearby. Ne'er-do-well Woody grows with the charge he's been given and tries to mend his irresponsible ways, though not without a little backsliding. Readers will be amazed and charmed by the transformation as he adjusts to his changing feelings towards Lily while remaining a gentleman. This powerful, moving tale with its strong characterizations and eye for detail will win Bonner many new fans.
Pam Spencer, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (January 3, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565120450
• ISBN-13: 978-1565120457
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #547,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Cindy Bonner now calls the mountains of northern New Mexico home. In addition to four award-winning historical novels published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, she is the author of numerous short stories, essays, and book reviews. The mother of two grown sons and the daughter of a World War II veteran who is still alive and kicking at age 87, Cindy has a dog and a significant other. An avid watcher of birds, the weather, and the political goings-on in Washington, D.C., she claims to be a bottomless well of spotty information on history and the meaning of life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lily's Adventure Continues, March 28, 2010

By 

Mommabear (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Looking after Lily (Paperback)

Looking after Lily is not as great as Lily, but it is a good book that keeps you turning the pages into the night. I read this when it first came out and I remember I couldn't wait to see what would happen next for Lily and Marion! Haywood isn't as likeable as Marion, but as you get into the story, you come to like this outlaw trying to change his life and do good, even though he always seems to fall into trouble despite himself. You never know what will happen next in this story! Outlaws are are hard to resist and Haywood is no exception.

Haywood's reluctant love for Lily and her daughter is sweet. In the end, you see all that he did to help Lily, how much he has changed his life and you feel sorry that he loses Lily in the end. My heart broke for him.

I wish Cindy Bonner would write another book dedicated to the story of Haywood, Marion and Lily. It would make a great read! There are some short passages in Cindy Bonner's third book, "The Passion of Dellie O'Barr" about Lily, Marion and Haywoood. The third book is not a favorite, but, it still is good because Cindy is a great writer. The thing I enjoyed most about the third book are the passages about Lily, even though they are few.

Cindy.....Please write another story about Lily!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REAL HEART-WARMER!, October 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Looking After Lily (Hardcover)

THE CHARACTERS WERE SO BELIVABLE THAT I TO FEEL IN LOVE.ONCE I FINISHED READING,I TRULEY MISSED ALL OF THE PEOPLE AND THERE LIVES THAT I HAD COME TO KNOW AND SHARE.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even Better, May 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Looking After Lily (Hardcover)

In all honesty, I read this first, before "Lily: A Love Story." And I preferred this story, whose focus has shifted slightly onto Haywood Beatty. Bonner isn't afraid to portray her characters as human beings with shortfalls that make tragic mistakes, who fall in love at inopportune times and who seek to better themselves. And Haywood's innate goodness is a pleasure to read. This is just as romantic, just as adventurous as "Lily" and just as entertaining.