Tomorrow Wendy: A Love Story [Paperback]

Shelley Stoehr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2003 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

I've discovered that if you wear a big enough hat, no one worries much about what's going on inside your head, says Cary. And no one, not even her boyfriend, Danny, knows about the things inside Cary's head. Especially the feelings she has for Wendy, a girl with bright green hair and hard-candy sadness in her eyes. An ALA Quick PickAn ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young ReadersA New York Public Library Best Books for the Teenaged 1998

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Author Shelley Stoehr, who never seems to flinch at the grit of teenage angst, succeeds again with Tomorrow Wendy, the story of an unforgettable teen named Cary who finds herself obsessed with her boyfriend's sister. As the obsession propels Cary to steal odd bits and pieces from Wendy's room, Cary begins to wonder if, perhaps, she might have a "thing" for Wendy. What's really going on inside Cary's mind? Does she love Danny or his sister? And what would it mean to be gay? Unfortunately, drugs and manic dancing in underage nightclubs cloud Cary's mind even further. The only person who seems to know what she may be feeling is her best friend Rad, who is invisible to everyone else and who talks only in song lyrics. This frank tale of one teen's dangerous spiral through apathy, obsession, and drug-fueled hysteria will certainly be too disturbing for readers under age 14. For older readers, though, Stoehr's novel will completely deglamorize the use of drugs to mask confusion and self-doubt. By the end, even Cary takes fragile first steps toward a cleaner, more realistic way of living. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up?Cary would like to be regarded as being tough as nails. She's effectively estranged from her parents, into drugs and drink, sleeping with a very cool guy, and secretly in love with his twin sister. She also is frequently visited by a young man no one else sees, who speaks to her in song lyrics. As you might surmise, this is one messed-up young woman. During the course of this novel, she continues her confused, self-destructive behavior while she steels herself to declare her love to Wendy. At the same time, Cary is contemptuous of the openly lesbian girls in her community and is unaware that a new girl in town has fallen in love with her. After much private anguish and denial, she seems to be more inclined to accept her own sexuality and get on with life. The milieu described by Stoehr has the ring of authenticity and her characters are believable. Unfortunately, few of them, including Cary, are likable or admirable. The language is crude and the sex is explicit; the amorality in terms of drinking, drugs, and role-playing are additionally disconcerting. Finally, considering that this book is subtitled "A Love Story," there is precious little tenderness. Nancy Garden's Annie on My Mind (Farrar, 1992) is a far more palatable novel about an adolescent lesbian relationship.?Miriam Lang Budin, Mt. Kisco Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (February 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595269540
• ISBN-13: 978-0595269549
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed, but interesting, November 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Tomorrow Wendy (Hardcover)

There's a good book in here somewhere, trying to get out. Actually, there are *two* good books in here, trying to get out; and that's the problem: they mesh badly. The main story, about the young protagonist's rather unhealthy obsession with her boyfriend's sister, is excellent. Cary is a very well-drawn character, both sympathetic and annoying, smart and stupid. Her desperate attempts to get the Wendy of the title to notice her are often heartbreaking, even as she continues to pretend she isn't really gay, and ignores and takes advantage of the affections of her school's new girl.

Unfortunately this takes place alongside the "other" story, which is the casual, unexplained and unapologetic use of drugs by Cary and most of her friends. This part of the book seems more like background detailing than a part of the story; it was never fleshed out, and wasn't even particularly credible. Cary gets high nearly every day, takes extasy and mushrooms on the weekends, and is a straight-A student? Her boyfriend, the school's dealer, is the most handsome and popular boy in her class? I don't think so.

And then there's the problem with Cary's imaginary friend Rab, who appears when she needs him and offers advice in the form of lyrics from rock songs. I got what the author was trying to do, but I never bought it.

Either story being told -- gay Cary, and drugged-out Cary -- would have been better off written separately. Together they make an uneven, if interesting, novel, that only gets a mild rating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tomorrow Wendy (Hardcover)

An extremely thoughtful and original book on the subject of sexual identity. However, the author's addition of a "guardian angel" in the form of the elusive, quasi-musician "Rad", who only speaks in song lyrics, is distracting and irritating. Cary is a sensitive and wholly likeable character, one that is universally familiar to teens. Stoehr's wit comes through in the guise of the "lesbian collective"; yet it is somewhat offensive to aggrandize a group of girls who taunt another for her inability to come to terms with her own sexuality. On the whole, it is an easy and likeable read.

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, September 13, 2007

By 

L. L. McNeeley (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tomorrow Wendy: A Love Story (Paperback)

I found this book to be disappointing. I thought the title was misleading; "Tomorrow Wendy: A Love Story". To me a true love story is where the two mane characters go through their problems and end up together in the end. While this book is mostly about Carys' confusion about her own sexuality and her growing infatuation with Wendy. Cary trys to not feel her own emotions with drug use. I was happy when she thought that the drug use was not the way to go, but that was not until almost at the end of the book. This is a book about a teen girls confusion with her own sexuality, but I think the drug use is a bit much for very young readers; not for someone under 13 years of age, but that is up to the parent. If you are looking for a true love story, teen or not, I recommend "Annie On My Mind" by Nancy Garden. But If you are someone who enjoys reading just for reading, One who has a passion for the written word; then this book is not a total waste of time.