Step Ball Change: A Novel [Hardcover]

Jeanne Ray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2002

With a ringing phone, Jeanne Ray’s charming and amusing new novel gets off to a rollicking start that never lets up. Not for a minute. On the other end of the phone is Caroline’s daughter, Kay, a public defender like her father, sobbing at the improbably good news that the richest, most eligible boy in Raleigh, North Carolina, has asked her to marry him. While Caroline and Tom are trying to digest this, the other phone, the “children’s line,” rings; it is Caroline’s sister, Taffy, hysterical over her husband’s decision to leave her for a woman two years younger than her daughter.

Soon Taffy is wending her way up from Atlanta to seek solace in her sister’s home, even though the two have been separated by more than just geography for the past forty years. With her is her little dog, Stamp, who has a penchant for biting ankles and stealing hearts. Tom and Caroline quickly realize that the wedding their future son-in-law’s family is envisioning for nine-hundred-plus guests is to be their fiscal responsibility. To top it all off, the foundation of their home is in danger of collapsing and their contractor and his crew have all but moved in. It’s a thundering whirlwind of emotion that finally boils down to: Who is in love with whom? and Who’s going to get the next dance?

Wise, funny, and impossible to put down, Step-Ball-Change is peopled with characters you feel you have known your whole life. It’s the kind of book that you can’t bear to see end.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ray's snappy second novel takes place in a chaotic but comfortable Southern household led by an appealingly down-to-earth matriarch. Caroline McSwain, a dance instructor in her 60s, is sitting down to dinner with her devoted husband, Tom, a public defender, when two phones ring simultaneously to interrupt their rare moment of privacy. Ten minutes later, her estranged, flighty sister, Taffy, newly separated from her husband, has decided to come from Atlanta for an extended visit, with her nasty terrier in tow. And the McSwains' only daughter, Kay, has just gotten engaged to Trey Bennet, a member of Raleigh's bluest-blooded family, but she still hasn't gotten over Jack, a charming district attorney. Meanwhile, Caroline and Tom's home is undergoing what seems like a never-ending renovation, eating up their retirement fund. Kay's wedding plans get complicated (and expensive); Caroline and Taffy start finding common ground; even the terrier calms down, thanks to Woodrow, a contractor who has taken a shine to Taffy. Caroline is an endearing narrator, realistic and self-deprecating; when things start to get out of control, her love for her family helps her to keep things on track. Although Ray (Julie and Romeo) allows the sap level to rise a little too high as the inevitable picture-perfect ending rolls around, she has a gift for lively dialogue that makes the characters (Caroline and Tom especially) snap into place.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A long-term, happy marriage. The perfect job. And four children who are all successful lawyers. Of course trouble is bound to come Carolyn's way. A follow-up to the surprise hit Julie and Romeo.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books; 1st edition (May 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609610031
• ISBN-13: 978-0609610039
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss This One, May 13, 2002

By 

Amy Leemon (North Fond du Lac, WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Step Ball Change: A Novel (Hardcover)

If this were a movie, it would be one of those wacky screwball comedies from the 30's. Some of the scenes are so funny, you find yourself laughing out loud - particularly when food is involved.

The cast of characters includes:

The husband and wife who just want to make it to retirement and a well earned quiet existence by a lake who find their lives turned upside down by ...

The sister whose husband has left her for a woman younger than their daughter who arrives for a visit (of undetermined length) with her little dog who loves to bite ankles.

The daughter who becomes engaged to a man whose mother is planning a reception for 900 ("And how many do you have on YOUR list, dear?") but who gets distracted when her ex-boyfriend (who always seems to be around - especially at meals) becomes attracted to her exotic cousin.

The contractor who is adding a Florida room on their house. Major foundation problems have come up and he also always is around - eating and giving advice.

Read it, enjoy it and share it. This book is a keeper.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining story of family life, December 4, 2005

By 

N. A. Genovese (Southeast Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Step-Ball-Change (Paperback)

I read this book because Ray's first book, Julie and Romeo, had been so good I decided to follow up on her progress. She is just as good in Step-Ball-Change. The story starts off very unassuming with our two main characters having supper when the phone rings. From there on it is one family catastrophe after another. The story is funny and the main characters are interesting and true to life. The secondary characters are also realistic. Actually, one of the best characters in the book is a white terrier who is nervous and energetic and never bites anyone until...well, you'll see.

Step-Ball-Change is a very funny story of family life. The story encompasses the lives of both young and old characters and their happiness, trials, and tribulations and how each member of the family relates to one another in the context of those trying times.

Step-Ball-Change is a funny and entertaining story and I recommend it highly.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She did it again!, May 14, 2002

By 

N. Gargano "nokegchris" (Waynesville NC and Bradenton, Fl) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Step Ball Change: A Novel (Hardcover)

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. I loved it, I could not put it down.I knew that I wanted to read it because I enjoyed her first one so much. By the way, if you havn't read that one, Julie and Romeo, you will enjoy that one as well. I was supposed to be packing for a trip, but I found myself just sitting and reading, and reading. I loved this family, warts and all, I wanted to introduce George to one of my nieces, and I wanted to take tap dancing lessons, even though I cannot dance at all, and I mean any kind of dancing! I just wanted to feel the joy the author was describing. I love watching old Gene Kelly movies, well all the old dance and song movies, and I was envious I could not ever really feel the joy you get from the actual dancing, not just the watching. This was a funny book, warm and sentimental book, and a hopeful book. This is a book I would buy as a gift for a friend, what better compliment is there,than that!