Tempus Fugit [Paperback]

Mavis Applewater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2008

Buchanan High School senior Ellen Druette has a secure spot on the Varsity cheerleading squad, a first-string football player boyfriend, and a solid plan for her life. Then the Swenson twins sweep into town in their matching Chevy Bel Air convertibles. Tall, blonde, and gorgeous, the twins are quickly accepted into the cheerleading squad, and Ellen's plan begins to unravel. Though Laurie Swenson makes the first move on her, it's Ginny who captures her heart. But malicious forces are at work in the Swenson family, and Ginny, their scapegoat, is convicted of crimes she didn't commit and sent to prison. Determined to prove her lover's innocence, Ellen investigates the case even as she completes her pre-law studies and enters law school. By the time Ginny is released from prison, she and Ellen have grown apart. They're still attracted to one another, but neither is confident of the other's feelings. Are they really in love, or are they just very good friends? Against the turbulent, psychedelic backdrop of the Sixties, Ellen and Ginny drift in and out of each other's lives as they strive for the courage to reveal their hearts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 444 pages
• Publisher: Blue Feather Books LTD. (July 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979412005
• ISBN-13: 978-0979412004
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,823,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kathryn, August 22, 2008

By 

Kathryn E. Hangach - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tempus Fugit (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book, don't be put off by the price, it's worth it. The story covers a little more than a decade 1956 to 1969, Ginny and Ellen meet in high school and fall in love a big taboo in those days, Ginny has an identical twin Laurie who is evil as can be who breaks them up by getting Ginny sent to prison. The following years consist of Ginny getting out of prison and trying to put her life together, and Ellen spends all the time she can between her studies to become a lawyer and prove Ginny innocent. How they overcome the intervening years and hopefully find each other again is a beautiful story, you yearn for them to finally put everything behind them, buy this book you won't be sorry.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book, September 5, 2008

By 

Blue Dancer (New Mexico) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tempus Fugit (Paperback)

I loved this book!
The story is wonderfully told in first person narative by Ellen, a character that one totally falls in love with. Her convoluted love affair with Ginny is told over a period of thirteen years and thier trials and tribulations are told against the backdrop of the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. This era is beutifully evoked and brought back a lot of great memories.
This is definately one of the best books to come to light in 2008. Well worth the price. (At 400 pages, it's like getting two books for the price of one.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spans fifty years, September 27, 2008

By 

Sage320 (Newport News, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tempus Fugit (Paperback)

Tempus Fugit covers five decades in the lives of Ellen Druette and Ginny Swenson. They meet and fall in love when they are both cheerleaders at the same high school and just discovering what sexuality is about. Their roles as members of the privileged clique and their relationship come to a crashing halt when Laurie Swenson, Ginny's "evil twin," uses Ginny's identification to break a law and Ginny takes the fall for her. Ellen learns a hard lesson in knowing who your friends really are when rumors about her and Ginny begin to circulate. While Ginny serves a prison term that stretches on for years, Ellen attends college and law school, determined to prove that Ginny was falsely convicted. She continues her efforts even after Ginny is released from prison and Ellen hopes to resume the relationship, but Ginny can't settle down after being confined. They spend years drifting in and out of each other's lives, always connected, but never committed to each other since neither one has the confidence or courage to say the words the other one needs to hear. As they move from the 1950's, through the turbulent 60's, other relationships come and go as Ginny tries to find herself and Ellen continues to work to build her career and prove Ginny's innocence. Maybe they want to be more to each other than just passing friends, but there are many obstacles to overcome and no guarantee that they'll be able to accomplish that.

Mavis Applewater's fans know that she's not afraid to write a book that has some length to it. Applewater can carry a story through many episodes and intricate character developments. At the end of Tempus Fugit the reader will know all of the characters and their motivations extremely well. Some of the scenes seem redundant and material could have been edited out without compromising the story; however, everything fits together and it's pleasant reading, so leaving in those episodes allows the reader to become more engrossed in what is going on. What is missing is the amount of sex scenes that normally pepper Applewater's work. There are those scenes, but, instead of being a major part of the book, the story has to carry itself without the titillation she usually offers. This makes for a stronger book and more interesting story. The characters aren't always jumping into bed every time a page turns, but have to interact in a way that is more realistic and makes them more dimensional.