Molly Donnelly [Paperback]

Jean Thesman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1994

Finding her life changed forever after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Molly assumes the responsibilities of the household when her mother goes to aid the war effort and comes to terms with her friend's disappearance and cousin's death. Reprint. SLJ. C. K. PW. AB.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Seattle girl's hardships during WWII are movingly chronicled; PW's starred review said that "this raw and bittersweet novel [is] possibly Thesman's best work to date." Ages 12-up.
- possibly Thesman's best work to date." Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

The author of several well-plotted if melodramatic novels (The Rain Catchers, 1991) uses the straightforward narration of a young Irish-American as a framework for depicting the WW II years in Seattle. Molly's best friend, Emily Tanaka, is interned at the beginning; Molly's mother gets a factory job and learns to value her independence, while a friend's mother suffers a factory injury exacerbated by the difficulty of finding a doctor; stressed by his night work and rocky marriage, Dad drinks too much; shortages are rampant, as is prejudice--not only against the Japanese and the people living in ``Tent Town'' but as exhibited in a music teacher's tirade against two young tenors who, he says, sound like girls. Almost everyone suffers a loss: for Molly, it's cousin Maureen, an army nurse captured in the Philippines. Unfortunately, the characters who live through this extensive social history never really come to life; though bratty brother Dusty and Maureen's sweet, supportive dad, Uncle Charlie, have potential, they're two-dimensional compared to the feisty, richly complex people in Thesman's other books. The title character from Rachel Chance (1990), who shows up next door, is a pallid imitation of her earlier self; and slipping in Rachel's reunion with Hank as a very minor subplot will seem like a real cheat to her fans. Even the style here is without the immediacy and vivid, poetic descriptions of the author's earlier work. Not bad, but far from this storyteller's compelling best. (Fiction. 12-16) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Flare (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380722526
• ISBN-13: 978-0380722525
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,912,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Molly Donnelly, April 17, 2004

By 

Alex (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molly Donnelly (Hardcover)

Molly Donnelly is probably the best book I've ever read. It states the truth, and shows you what life is really like growing up. Not everything is picture perfect.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Molly Donnelly, January 13, 2002

By 

Katt (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molly Donnelly (Paperback)

"Molly Donnelly" is an ordinary girl who's life changed suddenly because of the attack of the Japanese in Pearl Harbor. Her world of innocence had become a reality of parent to children continous battles and bigger battles such as the lives of friends and family members at war. This book has bought a new perspective of World War II in the eyes of a teenage girl. Jean Thesman had given readers of all ages a view of the past which changed America forever in the year 1941 on December 7. It showed how life as teenagers were during the war. Jean Thesman had done a terrific novel!

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting!, January 26, 2000

By 

Liz Wriglesworth (Curwensville,Pa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molly Donnelly (Hardcover)

Molly Donnelly is about a girl who is growing up during World War II. Her mother is forced to work in a ship yard and Molly has to take care of her brother, Dusty, and do all the house work. She falls in love with a boy in her class and looses her best friend, Emily. This novel really explains the hardships that people went through during the war. It is very well written!